Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

I was young and married, with our first child on the way, when certain thoughts began to stir my heart.  My husband and I were working hard at jobs to merely pay the bills while he continued college work.  We had goals to become teachers.  Having goals makes the hard work a bit easier to swallow knowing there is “light” the end of the tunnel.  We diligently trudged on daily to accomplish the same survival routines for the goal that was before us.  Our choices made determined our background, hearts, and behaviors.

We both grew up going to church, believing in God’s Word, with trying to be and do the right things in life.  But one day, while folding laundry, I sat on the couch and asked why.  This was one of many turning points in my journey of faith that shook me to the core.  I  followed in the path of my parents and grandparents but why do I do what I do?  Why do I go to church?  I thought following is not enough.  I watched many of our friends leave church when they reached our age.  Why?  After graduating high school, they “graduated” church, deeming this practice a childish thing to do.  Why?  What is missing?  Who is missing?  What do I really believe to be real?

As we live life, we have choices that demand that a decision be made.  In every phase we go through, every decade we live; we stand for a moment at a crossroad with two or more paths to take.  Which one is best?  Probably the first major “grownup” decision we make presents itself at the end of high school. What we decide sets the course for future grownup decisions. We can pause and that is a choice, too.  Do we just stay home and live off our parents’ income?  Do we go to college or trade school to learn how to make our own living?  What courses do we take that fit our given abilities and match our desire to be a contributor to society?  Will what we choose provide not only making a living but a work we can enjoy doing? Is that possible?

With each stage of life, we are presented with many choices at crossroads of thinking and behaving.  Who can I believe?  Who do I follow and lean on for help in life? Who can I depend on for counsel who speaks truth and wants the best for me?  How will my life be lived?  Who can be trusted?  Can I be trusted?  Seriously, what do I believe?

How we respond at these crossroads is a matter of life or death.  Then we realize there are really only two choices.  What we choose are turning points that either solidify our faith or drive us farther away from Jesus who died and rose again so that we who believe would not perish but have eternal life.  It depends on which direction we turn. 

The raising of Lazareth after being dead for days was a turning point for many who observed this power of Jesus take place in front of them.  Many believed.  Others ran to tattle to the Pharisees…(Sigh.)  Mary and Martha turned from telling Jesus what to do to believing Jesus.  Mourners saw Jesus weep. Religious leaders wanted to kill Him. Yes, many turning points of belief to consider by different people with various motivations.

John 11, The Message

The Man Who Creates God-Signs

^45-48 That was a turning point for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him. But some went back to the Pharisees and told on Jesus. The high priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish ruling body. “What do we do now?” they asked. “This man keeps on doing things, creating God-signs. If we let him go on, pretty soon everyone will be believing in him and the Romans will come and remove what little power and privilege we still have.”

^49-52 Then one of them—it was Caiaphas, the designated Chief Priest that year—spoke up, “Don’t you know anything? Can’t you see that it’s to our advantage that one man dies for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed?” He didn’t say this of his own accord, but as Chief Priest that year he unwittingly prophesied that Jesus was about to die sacrificially for the nation, and not only for the nation but so that all God’s exile-scattered children might be gathered together into one people.

^53-54 From that day on, they plotted to kill him. So Jesus no longer went out in public among the Jews. He withdrew into the country bordering the desert to a town called Ephraim and secluded himself there with his disciples.

^55-56 The Jewish Passover was coming up. Crowds of people were making their way from the country up to Jerusalem to get themselves ready for the Feast. They were curious about Jesus. There was a lot of talk of him among those standing around in the Temple: “What do you think? Do you think he’ll show up at the Feast or not?”

⁵⁷ Meanwhile, the high priests and Pharisees gave out the word that anyone who knew his whereabouts should inform them. They were all set to arrest him.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Are we believers, church tattlers, or the ones who want to get rid of Jesus in our lives?  These are some of the prominent players in this passage followed by how they responded to this turning point in history that would affect the world forever.

This is a turning point, not only to those who turn to Jesus and believe in Him; but a turning point in the mission of our “God made flesh” Jesus who is prepared to willingly lay down his life for the sins of the world—yours and mine.  Truly, Jesus is the Way back to God, the Truth who is God, with an offer of Life forever with God.  But some did not believe.

I believe that turning points are led by God’s Holy Spirit.  When my heart was stirred by “why;” I discovered it was God wanting to take me deeper in His love as He continued His work to strengthen the foundation of my faith.  That day, (and there would be other days), evil battled for my attention, attempted to deceive me with lies about doing what “made me happy” versus seeking God’s will for His best in me for His glory.  That day, I felt as though I was standing on a cliff.  I could jump into the pool with everyone else who had happily turned away or I could turn to Jesus who had never let me down and who I knew loved me the most.  I called out to God in Jesus Name and the fog of darkness lifted.  My heart filled with love and my mind was certain.  Jesus is my why!!

I decided that day that believing, being with Jesus, seeking to know God more must come first—even before following.  Why?  Because we humans can get caught up in the doing and miss the being.  I saw gossip by church people destroy all that Jesus was trying to build in our midst among us.  The evil one knows that is a weakness in us.  Doing good without being first with God, asking what He wants us to do in Jesus Name leads to self-gratification and pride. Our “why’s” must be questioned often. God’s Holy Spirit was sent to help us with confrontation followed by counseling in this area of faith building.

Pause to prayerfully ask why we do what we do because this questioning will reflect and resolve what and who we really believe.  God welcomes our honest questions and delivers the Truth that saves our souls and makes us whole.  Believe and be saved. 

BE still and know that HE is God.

BE still and know.

BE still.

BE.

(Psalm 46:10)

Lord,

Turning points are not easy but beneficial for living the abundant life to the full that you promised. At all the crossroads of life, You are there.  At every turn, around each corner, You are waiting with Hope.  When I turned in the wrong direction, You came after me and brought me back.  These are merely some of thousands of reasons I have decided to be with You and then follow You.  No turning back, no turning back. 

You are Life to me.  You are Love and Your thoughts are beyond our thinking.  You are Peace and eternal Joy right in the middle of the storms of life.  You are everything to me and everything I need most. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, for Your Glory, Amen.  I believe.

We use the word “IF” more often than we realize.  IF we do this, then this will happen. That’s how our brains work in this world. IF we plan for the event, then all will go well.  IF we do the work, the project will be completed.  IF we parent well, then our kids grow up acceptable to society.  IF we save for a rainy day, we will be able to handle unexpected expenses.  IF we exercise, we will be heathy. IF we eat the right foods we will live long.  IF we rely on all the right people, our lives will be better.  IF we do this today, there will be less trouble tomorrow.  The list goes on and on.  (There’s even a song that was written by Bread called “IF”!)

We do not have the ability to plan for what God only knows.  We think we have our lives under control, working diligently to cover our bases for all the “ifs” of this life—until life happens to force us to realize we do not.  “In this world, you will have trouble,” Jesus warns, but in the same breath adds this assurance, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  Do we believe this?

Mary and Martha are grieving the death of their brother.  When Lazareth was sick, the sisters sent for Jesus, the Healer.  Done and done.  Jesus, instead, responded to the plan of His Father and lingered where He was before coming to them.  He was immediately met with an IF of blame from his beloved friends.  “IF you’d been here…”  Ouch, that had to hurt.  Did Jesus weep because of it?  Did anger rise up within Him because of this attitude of disappointment with distain thrown in by his friends and the other mourners hired to do their weeping gig? 

We don’t know for sure, but the ladies were walking over the faith line with evil accusations.  IF you had done what we asked, when we asked it, death would not have happened.  (Yikes!)  Their response was softened somewhat by “we know who you are as God’s Son.” But then followed with we know God will do what YOU ask, so get to it!  Why didn’t you do what we asked…IF you had been here…

Do we do that to God, in Jesus Name?  IF we are honest, we say this to each other as well as to God who knows all, is in all, and is in control of all. Our human sin nature blames all those around us when we are frustrated by our circumstances.  We blame others’ actions, God’s lack of response in our time according to our estimation, and then we blame ourselves.  But we need to realize that no one flies under the radar of God’s knowing.  Not one situation of trauma escapes His notice.  Jesus, God’s Son, knows everything comes from God, and can be used by God for His glory—so that we might believe! 

THIS is one of those times—

John 11, The Message

The Death of Lazarus

11 ^1-3 A man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. This was the same Mary who massaged the Lord’s feet with aromatic oils and then wiped them with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Master, the one you love so very much is sick.”

⁴ When Jesus got the message, he said, “This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God’s glory by glorifying God’s Son.”

^5-7 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two more days. After the two days, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

⁸ They said, “Rabbi, you can’t do that. The Jews are out to kill you, and you’re going back?”

^9-10 Jesus replied, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in daylight doesn’t stumble because there’s plenty of light from the sun. Walking at night, he might very well stumble because he can’t see where he’s going.”

¹¹ He said these things, and then announced, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. I’m going to wake him up.”

^12-13 The disciples said, “Master, if he’s gone to sleep, he’ll get a good rest and wake up feeling fine.” Jesus was talking about death, while his disciples thought he was talking about taking a nap.

^14-15 Then Jesus became explicit: “Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him.”

¹⁶ That’s when Thomas, the one called the Twin, said to his companions, “Come along. We might as well die with him.”

^17-20 When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.

^21-22 Martha said, “Master, if you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you.”

²³ Jesus said, “Your brother will be raised up.”

²⁴ Martha replied, “I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time.”

^25-26 “You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?”

²⁷ “Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world.”

²⁸ After saying this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”

^29-32 The moment she heard that, she jumped up and ran out to him. Jesus had not yet entered the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When her sympathizing Jewish friends saw Mary run off, they followed her, thinking she was on her way to the tomb to weep there. Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, “Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

^33-34 When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, “Where did you put him?”

^34-35 “Master, come and see,” they said. Now Jesus wept.

³⁶ The Jews said, “Look how deeply he loved him.”

³⁷ Others among them said, “Well, if he loved him so much, why didn’t he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man.”

^38-39 Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”

The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, “Master, by this time there’s a stench. He’s been dead four days!”

⁴⁰ Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

^41-42 Then, to the others, “Go ahead, take away the stone.”

They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I’ve spoken so that they might believe that you sent me.”

^43-44 Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.

Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.”

^45-48 That was a turning point for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him. But some went back to the Pharisees and told on Jesus.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

What we do know as followers of Jesus is:

IF we believe, we have an ever-present help.  God knows exactly the kind of help we need.

IF we believe, what is beyond our thinking happens in ways that turn bad to good and show us the glory of God.  

IF we believe, we readily see God’s glory at work every day.

IF we believe, we hear God’s voice over all other voices in this world.

IF we believe, truly believe Jesus died for our sins then rose from death as the Victor as Truth—eternal life is ours!  We have Hope and a Future!

As we grow and mature in our love, our trust and faith in God is “unwrapped”! Our IF’s are replaced by “Solid Rock when’s”—

When God speaks, we respond with obedience. 

When God provides, we respond with grateful hearts. 

When God shows His glory, we fall to our knees in pure praise!   

When trouble comes, we turn immediately to God.  We avoid what if’s and the blame game. 

When needs arise, we call on God in Jesus Name with confidence.  We know He hears and answers with want HE knows is best for us because God is FOR us not against us!

Rely on God’s Word when temptations to blame rise up within us.  Read and reread Paul’s blessed assurances of Jesus, who is Truth, Love and Life forever for all who believe.

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39, NLT

NOT. ONE. THING.

Lord,

Thank you for opening my eyes and ears to the things I think and say that hurts you.  I repent of the days of thinking the world has power over me when you who lives in me is greater still than the darkness of this world in which we live.  Our journey here is relatively brief compared with the glory we will share forever with you Someday.  Thank you for giving Life to me! Thank you for removing my sins as far as the east is from the west. Thank you for assurances for today that bolster my confidence as I truly believe, trust, and respond to your leading.  You ARE for me, not against me.  Thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

We can live secluded from all people and still be judged by others for living a secluded life. We must be crazy. We are judged for talking too much or not enough.  We are judged for wearing clothes or cutting our hair that is the same as others but different to some.  We are judged for how manage our finances.  We are judged for how we pray, what we say, and where we go to worship with others.  We are judged for what vehicle we purchase.  We are judged for judging others.  We all judge something or someone every day.  Judging, assuming, and presuming are sinful acts of being misunderstood with attitudes of rebellion, refusing to examine the evidence of that reveals the real truth of who we are. 

Jesus, Son of God, the One and Only without sin, qualified to judge and condemn—did not.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Jesus provides all the evidence needed as He demonstrates God’s love daily in His words and actions while on earth.  The evidence of God’s love in His Son is expressed in every way possible as Jesus related to all people.  What Jesus did was for the good of people.  He did not add to their oppression under Roman rule and from arrogant religious leaders, but came to set people free from the inside out!  Jesus knew the Father for they were One so He knew it was never God’s desire for anyone to perish for their sins or the sins of others.  God’s true, relentless desire is for all the people He created to love Him back. 

But, Jesus was judged as a crazy man for calling God His Father, quoting and fulfilling scripture while providing evidence of proof of God’s unconditional love, compassionate mercy and unending grace embodied in Him. 

John 10, The Message

^22-24 They were celebrating Hanukkah just then in Jerusalem. It was winter. Jesus was strolling in the Temple across Solomon’s Porch. The Jews, circling him, said, “How long are you going to keep us guessing? If you’re the Messiah, tell us straight out.”

^25-30 Jesus answered, “I told you, but you don’t believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand. The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him. I and the Father are one heart and mind.”

^31-32 Again the Jews picked up rocks to throw at him. Jesus said, “I have made a present to you from the Father of a great many good actions. For which of these acts do you stone me?”

³³ The Jews said, “We’re not stoning you for anything good you did, but for what you said—this blasphemy of calling yourself God.”

^34-38 Jesus said, “I’m only quoting your inspired Scriptures, where God said, ‘I tell you—you are gods.’ If God called your ancestors ‘gods’—and Scripture doesn’t lie—why do you yell, ‘Blasphemer! Blasphemer!’ at the unique One the Father consecrated and sent into the world, just because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I don’t do the things my Father does, well and good; don’t believe me. But if I am doing them, put aside for a moment what you hear me say about myself and just take the evidence of the actions that are right before your eyes. Then perhaps things will come together for you, and you’ll see that not only are we doing the same thing, we are the same—Father and Son. He is in me; I am in him.”

^39-42 They tried yet again to arrest him, but he slipped through their fingers. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and stayed there. A lot of people followed him over. They were saying, “John did no miracles, but everything he said about this man has come true.” Many believed in him then and there.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus revealed to the Jewish leaders why they did not understand His words or grasp the significance of His works: They were not His sheep. From the human standpoint, we become His sheep by believing, but from the divine standpoint, we believe because we are His sheep. There is a mystery here that we cannot fathom or explain, but we can accept it and rejoice. God has His sheep and He knows who they are. They will hear His voice and respond.

Paul writes of this mystery—

“Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God?
Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?
Anyone who has done him such a huge favor
    that God has to ask his advice?

Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
    Yes. Yes. Yes.

Romans 11:33-36, MSG

Jesus told His disciple Thomas, who needed to see Jesus alive and well and invited to touch his nailscarred wounds in His Body before believing, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 

Jesus is talking about you and me!  Do we really believe who Jesus was and He did for us really real?  The evidence of what we truly believe will be demonstrated in how we live every hour of every day of our lives. 

No, we are not perfect.  It is not possible as a human to live in an imperfect world; but we are perfectly forgiven by the One who became sin for us to make us holy.  God made the Way.  “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21.  This “mystery” of reconciliation is provided by a God who sent His One and Only Son to redeem us from the Destroyer who provides many temptations to sin. Some times we fall for it, most times we see evil for what it is as His deception deeds masquerade and dance around us as good for us. 

God gave us His Holy Spirit with His power.  With the Help of God’s Holy Spirit living in us, we have the power to overcome evil.  Lean into the wisdom of His Spirit.  He helps us guard our hearts.  Tap into the Power that is available to all when we need it most!  There is power in the Name of Jesus!  Demons hate it when we fall on our knees in worship, crying out to God in Jesus Name—and they leave!

The message to all who believe—

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27, NIV

“We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 It is the effectual love of God that first changes our hearts in order to make us capable of love, and it is His example of love that reminds us again and again of our need to love other people.

To “judge not,” as God’s Word tells us, is a behavior we need to lose to gain Christ.  Only Jesus has the authority and right to judge but He chooses to love and forgive.  So, as we progress in God’s love, by His power in us, we can begin by judging less and loving more.  The more we love like God loves us the less we judge.

Lord,

I repent of the judgement flaw that plagues me.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul, and restore the joy of your salvation at work with me that sets me free. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing

And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

People who don’t know Jesus, don’t know the sound of His Voice.  They don’t know the love He has for us that is far beyond human forms of love.  His love is hard to grasp—until we believe.  Then the more we realize the depths of His love, an intimate, growing loving relationship with Him blossoms into new perspectives of what is beautiful!  We discover that the more our love grows for Him, we are loving others more deeply, more than we thought possible!  It even becomes easier to “love our enemies and pray for them” to have this Love.

Unbelievers don’t know the joy and peace that Jesus gifts believers right in the middle of life’s traumas.  “Why are smiling, are you up to something?” People often ask me this question while I’m merely thinking of how much Jesus helps me through every problem and trying circumstance or I’m just grateful that He walks with me and talks with me…

Jesus is indeed the Good Shepherd of my life.  I am one of His sheep who mindlessly leaves the path at times, distracted by the world pulling me in different directions.  He shows me Truth when the threat of deception by the enemy looms over me.  When I stray, He runs after me and pulls me back.  His love drives away my fears.

I know Him and I hear His Voice speaking through His Holy Spirit who lives deep within my soul.   The Good Shepherd speaks peace to me when I am anxious and afraid.  He speaks wisdom when I am confused.  He makes a way through rocky places to show me the right path.

The Lord is My Shepherd.  I shall not want. 

Jesus is everything I long for and everything I need.

John 10, The Message

He Calls His Sheep by Name

^1-5 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”

^6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep rustlers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

^11-13 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He’s only in it for the money. The sheep don’t matter to him.

^14-18 “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father.”

^19-21 This kind of talk caused another split in the Jewish ranks. A lot of them were saying, “He’s crazy, a maniac—out of his head completely. Why bother listening to him?” But others weren’t so sure: “These aren’t the words of a crazy man. Can a ‘maniac’ open blind eyes?”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who willing laid down his life for His sheep.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17) ALL sheep who believe and follow The Good Shepherd are saved for eternity! 

“You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd.”—Jesus

Life worth living happens because of God’s unfailing, relentless, unconditional Love! Jeus is our Hope of life forever.  He provides Peace “not of this world” along with Joy unexplainable through all circumstances; given freely to all who believe, hear His voice, and depend on His guidance!

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
None other has ever known

Psalm 23 –A psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
    he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Lord,

You are my Good Shepherd!  I’m yours.  I’m listening.  I’m following your Voice as a response to You.  You have given me even more reasons today not to fear or be anxious but to be eternally grateful.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  You didn’t bring us this far to leave us—that’s not your way.  You are the Way to Truth that gives Life forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen

And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
None other has ever known

Sometimes the simplest demonstration of love, coupled with the power of God, is the very action unbelievers just cannot wrap their heads around.  “What happened is merely good luck for you,” unbelievers say as they scratch their heads while their envious minds grapple with the truth that God is always at work on the behalf of those who love and follow Him.  I’ve had these very words said to me, when God took care of a need we had financially in way we could not have imagined or dreamed! 

I told the story, giving glory to God, with how He intervened in our lives at just the right time with exactly what was needed and was eventually helpful to others. The first response of many people was; “Lucky you”!  Unbelievers along with a few who profess to believe in God had the same response—wait, what?  Yep.

People who rely only on themselves become jaded, self-seeking, self-led, motivated by pride and arrogance.  They demand an explanation for another person’s good fortune, especially when they have previous labeled the receiver as unworthy or undeserving.                                 

True blindness, as Jesus will point out, is refusing to believe. 

John 9, The Message

True Blindness

^1-2 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?”

^3-5 Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.”

^6-7 He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man’s eyes, and said, “Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “Sent”). The man went and washed—and saw.

⁸ Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, “Why, isn’t this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?”

⁹ Others said, “It’s him all right!”

But others objected, “It’s not the same man at all. It just looks like him.”

He said, “It’s me, the very one.”

¹⁰ They said, “How did your eyes get opened?”

¹¹ “A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ I did what he said. When I washed, I saw.”

¹² “So where is he?”

“I don’t know.”

^13-15 They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, “He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “Obviously, this man can’t be from God. He doesn’t keep the Sabbath.”

Others countered, “How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?” There was a split in their ranks.

¹⁷ They came back at the blind man, “You’re the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?”

He said, “He is a prophet.”

^18-19 The Jews didn’t believe it, didn’t believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?”

^20-23 His parents said, “We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. But we don’t know how he came to see—haven’t a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don’t you ask him? He’s a grown man and can speak for himself.” (His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place. That’s why his parents said, “Ask him. He’s a grown man.”)

²⁴ They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind—and told him, “Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor.”

²⁵ He replied, “I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see.”

²⁶ They said, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ “I’ve told you over and over and you haven’t listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?”

^28-29 With that they jumped all over him. “You might be a disciple of that man, but we’re disciples of Moses. We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from.”

^30-33 The man replied, “This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes! It’s well known that God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will.That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of—ever. If this man didn’t come from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

³⁴ They said, “You’re nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!” Then they threw him out in the street.

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

³⁶ The man said, “Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him.”

³⁷ Jesus said, “You’re looking right at him. Don’t you recognize my voice?”

³⁸ “Master, I believe,” the man said, and worshiped him.

³⁹ Jesus then said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.”

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees overheard him and said, “Does that mean you’re calling us blind?”

⁴¹ Jesus said, “If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you’re accountable for every fault and failure.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The disciples, who are walking with Jesus, don’t see the real need of the blind man.  But Jesus does.  These followers do not think first of the power of God that is in Jesus, His Son.  Their first thought is “I wonder, what sin caused this man to be born blind.”

The blame game seems to be our “go to” when we cannot explain what occurs in life. Sigh.

We are born with a need to explain.  It is our sin nature that demands an explanation (and judgement) for everything that happens in our lives and in the lives of others!  We must know why something bad or good happens.  If what happens is beyond human and unexplainable, we create scenarios of the “most likely” so the unexplainable and miraculous can be wrapped up in a tidy package of unbelief.

Jesus sees more than a blind man from birth.  This man was known and labeled by society as “the blind man who begged in the street.”  He had lived with that label since his birth.  He grew from toddler to a boy to now a man who cannot see.  His parents also lived with the label (and their guilt) that was given to their son. As a man unemployable, his only means of survival is to beg.  Then God shows up—Jesus, His Son, intervenes.

Jesus had another view of the man born blind that is beyond the view of his disciples. Rather than see him as an opportunity for discussion, he saw him as an opportunity for God’s glory to be seen! Why was he blind? “That the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3, NKJV).

What a perspective! The man wasn’t a victim of fate; he was a miracle waiting to happen. “Look instead for what God can do.”  Jesus didn’t label him. He helped him. Jesus was more concerned about the future than the past.  Jesus spits in the mud, rubs it on the “now-sighted-but-doesn’t-know-it-yet” man’s eyes and sends him to wash in the pool (called “sent”).  The man went, washed and now saw what he had never seen before! 

As the Body of Christ, we must cease from the blame to explain game.  We must stop assigning labels to people to compare and lift up ourselves.  We all have been labeled at every stage of life by economists, sociologists, psychologist, family, friends, and enemies.  It seems we cannot escape being labeled.  I hate being labeled, judged forever, and not seen for who I am right now, don’t you?

Max Lucado helps us rethink our labels of judgement and relates it this passage:

“Some of you relate to the man born blind. You have been the topic of conversation. You have been left on the outside looking in. You’ve been labeled. If so, learn what this man learned: When everyone else rejects you, Christ accepts you. When everyone else leaves you, Christ finds you. When no one else wants you, Christ claims you. When no one else will give you the time of day, Jesus will give you the words of eternity.

Others of you will relate to the observers. You’ve judged. You’ve labeled. You’ve slammed the gavel and proclaimed the guilt before knowing the facts. If that is you, look at John 9:4 and understand what the work of God is: “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”

What is the work of God? Accepting people. Loving before judging. Caring before condemning.

Look before you label.”  –Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

SENT-WENT-SAW is the best response to Jesus’ power at work in this man.  We learn from him that our response is similar—

Believe, even when others do not.  “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

Listen and Follow.  “You’re looking right at him. Don’t you recognize my voice?” (“My sheep know and hear my voice for I am the Good Shepherd”, John 10)

Worship.  “Master, I believe”

Still need an explanation?  Here it is:

“But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see.”

Lord,

Over the years of believing in you, when I falter in faith, you have opened my blinded eyes to see your Truth. You have done it again today.  The world says one thing, but you reveal Truth.  To believe is to trust, go where you send, do what you say, so we can see your glory at work and worship you!  May our response to what we cannot explain be worship to you in all circumstances and situations.  I was blind, but now I see.  To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen 

I have been told I’m a bit crazy since I was a student in elementary school.  Most times, I hung back in conversations.  Some will not believe this, but growing up I was told I was shy. But, in truth it was a way to watch and observe how the other kids reacted to life. People watching was and is fascinating, especially when they live and respond to life in ways different than you would.  As I fifth grader, I remember wondering why the self named “cool kids” would praise some kids they deemed okay to like but mock others for unknown reasons to me.  There was even a written list!  Somehow, I was deemed a friend to all, flying “under the radar” of attention which confused the whole system. 

Later in life, employed in retail, to work my way through college, I discovered that a lot of people still thought like we did in grade school.  On any given shift of gathered people, there were some who were “cool” and some who were not.  I couldn’t figure out why as a people watcher and observer.  I took a college class, Sociology (the study of people), which explained most human behaviors which was helpful.  But Sociology is only research of selected people groups of the past. Phycology (behaviors of people) didn’t satisfy my wondering either of why people don’t progress beyond elementary behaviors of choosing who they will like and don’t like, based merely on assumptions and presumptions that form their opinions. 

Why can’t we all get along?  Why do we assume who a person is without getting to know them?

I am a “church kid.”  That was my “tag” through out my school years.  I can only surmise that my lifestyle was obvious.  I didn’t know cuss words, didn’t go to parties that I knew from the talk of kids would make me uncomfortable, or choose some kids to like and others to mock; but they accepted me.  They thought I was a bit crazy, but if any of them had a problem or just needed to talk, they would come to me knowing I would listen and keep it to myself. Apparently, I was trusted.  They knew who I was inside without banging them over the head with my Bible.  I learned, early in life, that Jesus who promised to be with me through it all, was indeed the One in which to rely and depend upon.  God’s Holy Spirit steered me through the rough waters of growing up.  He forgave my sins and mistakes in judgement and never let me go and never gave up on me.  God extended His mercy to me as He pulled me back into His grace because of his unfailing, relentless love.  I am so grateful for knowing Him and I am convinced He is who He says He is.

I love that Jesus is also an observer of people. However, Jesus has much greater observational skills than we will ever have!  Jesus is “God in flesh who moved into the neighborhood of humanity”. (John 1:14) Jesus was with God at Creation.  Jesus knows how God works.  Because He and the Father are one, Jesus knows what people are thinking.  Jesus can see beyond the pretense in their eyes to reveal what is truly in their hearts.  He knows who believes Him as the Son of God; Messiah come to save them. Jesus also knows who refuses to listen, believe, or follow because they are led by the Enemy of confusion, pride, greed, and all that is not of God.

Those who refuse Jesus, call Him crazy.  Anyone who is does not talk and walk like a devout Jewish leader must be crazy!  Or so they think…

John 8, The Message

I Am Who I Am

⁴⁸ The Jews then said, “That settles it. We were right all along when we called you a Samaritan and said you were crazy—demon-possessed!”

^49-51 Jesus said, “I’m not crazy. I simply honor my Father, while you dishonor me. I am not trying to get anything for myself. God intends something gloriously grand here and is making the decisions that will bring it about. I say this with absolute confidence. If you practice what I’m telling you, you’ll never have to look death in the face.”

^52-53 At this point the Jews said, “Now we know you’re crazy. Abraham died. The prophets died. And you show up saying, ‘If you practice what I’m telling you, you’ll never have to face death, not even a taste.’ Are you greater than Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you think you are!”

^54-56 Jesus said, “If I were striving to get all the attention, it wouldn’t amount to anything. But my Father, the same One you say is your Father, put me here at this time and place of splendor. You haven’t recognized him in this. But I have. If I, in false modesty, said I didn’t know what was going on, I would be as much of a liar as you are. But I do know, and I am doing what he says. Abraham—your ‘father’—with elated faith looked down the corridors of history and saw my day coming. He saw it and cheered.”

⁵⁷ The Jews said, “You’re not even fifty years old—and Abraham saw you?”

⁵⁸ “Believe me,” said Jesus, “I am who I am long before Abraham was anything.”

⁵⁹ That did it—pushed them over the edge. They picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus slipped away, getting out of the Temple.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Sometimes I wonder why Jesus wasted His time and energy on those who deemed Him crazy.  But then I remember the unfailing love and compassion of God whose desire is that “no one perish” but have eternal life. Peter reminds us of this Truth in his letters to believers: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

I’m so glad God was patient with me!  Aren’t you?

The Jewish leaders were so engulfed in The Law that could not see The Law being fulfilled in Jesus, Son of God.  They clung to only what was written.  Jesus is extending their thinking with “crazy talk” because what He is saying goes beyond the smallness of human minds, stuck in gear, to the greatest of God whose desire is for greater things in and through His people! 

BEYOND CRAZY!

We humans still attack what we cannot understand and do not know.  The leaders could not refute Jesus’ statements, so they attacked His person. The personal attacks in verse 48 are quite obvious. For a Jew to be called a Samaritan was the grossest of insults in that culture, and then to be called demon-possessed only added further insult.

The most difficult people to win to the Savior are those who do not realize that they have a need. They are under the condemnation of God, yet they trust their religion to save them. They are walking in the darkness and not following the light of life. They are sharing a “living death” because of their bondage to sin, and, in spite of their religious deeds, they are dishonoring the Father and the Son. These are the people who crucified Jesus Christ, and Jesus called them the children of the devil.

The worst bondage is the kind that the prisoner himself does not recognize. He thinks he is free, yet he is really a slave. The Pharisees and other religious leaders thought that they were free, but they were actually enslaved in terrible spiritual bondage to sin and Satan. They would not face the truth, and yet it was the truth alone that could set them free.

Jesus’ statement can also be translated, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Again, this was another affirmation of His divine sonship, and the Jewish leaders received it as such. He had once again made Himself equal with God (John 5:18), and this was the sin of blasphemy, worthy of death (Leviticus 24:16). Jesus was divinely protected and simply walked away. His hour had not yet come. We cannot help but admire His courage as He presented the truth and invited blind religious men to trust Him and be set free.

Who is I AM?  We give credit to the gospel of John for recording the seven I AM statements of Jesus “so that we would believe” Jesus as the Son of God with certainty and confidence:  

• I Am The Bread Of Life (John 6:35)
• I Am The Light Of The World (John 8:12)
• I Am The Gate For The Sheep (John 10:7)
• I Am The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
• I Am The Resurrection And The Life (John 11:25)
• I Am The Way The Truth And The Life (John 14:6)
• I Am The True Vine (John 15:1)

Believe, be set free forever!

Lord,

Thank you for willingly laying down your life for ours but not before you spent three years clarifying Who you are with Why you came.  You are Light that shines through piercing the dark days of our lives.  You are the provider of all we need even before we know we need it. You are our ever-present help and protector.  You lead us to what is best for us.  Most of all, Jesus, you reconciled us to God.  Thank you, Father. Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Holy Spirit for always being with us.  I’m yours.

In Jesus Name, Amen.  I believe.

Praise the Father, Praise the Son
Praise the Spirit, Three in One
Clothed in power and in grace
The name above all other names

(By Chris Tomlin)

Humans seem to automatically run from, ignore or attack new information.  We do not readily trust what we do not know.  We do not easily believe in a product, for example, if we have not tried it for ourselves to see if it really does what is advertised.  We have been fooled so many times before reaching adulthood, that trust in anything or anyone must be first proven to be reliable—every time. 

In fact, we humans would rather swim with the sharks, going in the same direction, instead of swimming against the current of established customs and habits of life even though we are risking our very lives! To go against what has been passed down to us as tradition is just too hard to swallow.  It’s just too hard not to please those in charge who want us to be like them!

How can we believe who we do not know?  How can we know who we do not believe?

We just can’t seem to handle the Truth, even when He is standing right in front of us with open arms. 

Jesus tells us why—

John 8, The Message

If the Son Sets You Free

^31-32 Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”

³³ Surprised, they said, “But we’re descendants of Abraham. We’ve never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, ‘The truth will free you’?”

^34-38 Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. I know you are Abraham’s descendants. But I also know that you are trying to kill me because my message hasn’t yet penetrated your thick skulls. I’m talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard from your father.”

^39-41 They were indignant. “Our father is Abraham!”

Jesus said, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would have been doing the things Abraham did. And yet here you are trying to kill me, a man who has spoken to you the truth he got straight from God! Abraham never did that sort of thing. You persist in repeating the works of your father.”

They said, “We’re not bastards. We have a legitimate father: the one and only God.”

^42-47 “If God were your father,” said Jesus, “you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn’t come on my own. He sent me. Why can’t you understand one word I say? Here’s why: You can’t handle it. You’re from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn’t stand the truth because there wasn’t a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies. I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me. Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I’m telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone on God’s side listens to God’s words. This is why you’re not listening—because you’re not on God’s side.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We know just enough to be dangerous!  We might make the effort on any given Sunday to attend a building where others seeking God and what is good are gathered.  After all, we want our kids to be good, right?  We might even buy into what the worshipers of God are saying and doing.  We sing along because we enjoy the music and are in awe of the talent.  We might listen to the good parts of an engaging message that tells the Truth—especially if humor is thrown in.  We know enough to know it is good—to be good.  So, we commit to being good next week—because that seems to be what others are doing.  We might even say yes to helping someone among the attenders who is in the hospital and needs a meal fixed for their family because that is a good thing to do.  All this actions we see seem to be the custom of the congregants so this is good.  And we want to be good. 

However, a day comes when begin good is not good enough for us.  We still feel wrapped up as if held in bondage.  We do what we do not want to do in disgust.  Why is it so hard to “be good”?  Why do we feel we will never be good enough? 

Truth is, only God is good.  Truth is, we have put all our focus on doing what others say is good and looks good without committing to a relationship with God who IS the only One good. Yikes.  So, what do we do?

“You can’t handle the Truth,” says Jesus to the rule following Jewish leaders.  You are relying on heritage and tradition alone as your goodness meter as the measure of your salvation.  You don’t know the Creator of Life.  You follow each other but not God.  You are, in reality, following the enemy of God, who is a Liar, whose goal is to distract you from God, deceive you about who God was, is, and always will be.  You are walking on a path of destruction that leads only to darkness because you’re not listening to Me!  “Anyone on God’s side listens to God’s words. This is why you’re not listening—because you’re not on God’s side.”  You know of Him but you do not know Him.

Jesus speaks clearly of who He is to the religious leaders so they will know.  But they refuse to listen.  Instead, they attack this “new information—Truth” with distain, disgust, and hate.  They assume Jesus is against The Law, when in fact He has come to fulfill all the reasons why The Law was given. The Law convicts us of our sins.  Jesus came to save us from those very sins and set us free! 

Steeped in tradition, addicted to power, with no relationship with God, they will not listen to Truth who is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, of whom they have read about for centuries without expecting Him to really come.  Belief in Truth gone.  Hope replaced by personal preferences. They are so bound up in tradition they prefer to stay that way.  They would rather kill Truth.

They cannot handle the Truth who can set them free. Freedom is new information.  Being set free in a world of Roman oppression seems just too good to be true.  I’ll just keep swimming with the sharks, thank you. 

But what about our lives today?  Can we handle the Truth?  Do we know the Truth?  Do we really believe what Jesus says is really real?  Do we believe He has set us free?

How do we demonstrate our “freedom in Christ”?  Only by His Power living in us.  The power of God’s Holy Spirit living in us helps us to turn away from the old habits of people pleasing, impressing people with our “goodness” deeds done publicly, singing the loudest in worship, drawing attention to ourselves with expecting others to be like us, frowning on anyone not like us.  We run from the lies and run to Truth.  We no longer desire to fall for the enemy’s attempts to distract us from God and our relationship with God made possible by Jesus.  No, we seek freedom!   We seek Truth with a desire to live Truth! 

And THIS is the Truth: “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32, NIV

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –Jesus, John 14:6

Come to Jesus. 

Know God by knowing Jesus.

Believe that Jesus is the Person called Truth.  Whether we believe or not; Truth just is—Truth.  Truth never changes, never gives up on us, while setting us free to love like Jesus loves us—relentless and unconditional.

Point people to Jesus who is Truth!

Lord,

You are Truth.  There is no one who can set us free from our sins and our selfishness but you.  Thank you for cleansing my heart, renewing my mind that transforms my habits, refreshing my soul with your new mercies, while restoring the joy of you in me and me in you—All this accomplished only by the power given to us by Your Holy Spirit!  YES!  I am free!  I am redeemed!  Help me to live like the redeemed!  All my hope and confidence comes from You!

In Jesus Name, Amen

“How many time must I tell you?” “Look at me when I’m talking to you.”  “Don’t look at me that way.”  We vow as young adults to never say what our parents said to us.  But then, we do.  We ask those same questions and make those tired comments, not really wanting a response as we become weary of complacency and dullness of our offspring in compliance.  “You’re not getting what I am saying!”  

Pushed into a corner, tired of explaining, we even resort to, “Look at me, do you think I am stupid?”  We really do not want a reply for that question from our insolent children!  As parents, who used to be kids, we know when our kids selectively hear and understand so they can claim ignorance when they misbehave. “Whaaat?” is their only defense.  So, we go over it again, hoping they will look us in the eye, open their ears, and lean into believing what we say is for their good because we love them.

I think of my own rebellious ways as a child and shudder as I repent of them once more as I read how Jesus patiently, tenaciously, compassionately, and lovingly explains the difference between Light and dark, Truth and lies, His Word from God versus what the religious leaders are saying, along with the telling the world who He is and Who sent Him. 

THREE TIMES in this passage Jesus teaches Truth that does not change with three different ways and approaches to deliver Truth so as many as possible will see and understand God, who they are missing in life, with what they must do to be reconciled to God. 

Jesus—Truly a MASTER Teacher!  We can learn much from how Jesus teaches!

John 8, The Message

You’re Missing God in All This

¹² Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.”

¹³ The Pharisees objected, “All we have is your word on this. We need more than this to go on.”

^14-18 Jesus replied, “You’re right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I’ve come from and where I go next. You don’t know where I’m from or where I’m headed. You decide according to what you can see and touch. I don’t make judgments like that. But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn’t make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father. That fulfills the conditions set down in God’s Law: that you can count on the testimony of two witnesses. And that is what you have: You have my word and you have the word of the Father who sent me.”

¹⁹ They said, “Where is this so-called Father of yours?”

Jesus said, “You’re looking right at me and you don’t see me. How do you expect to see the Father? If you knew me, you would at the same time know the Father.”

²⁰ He gave this speech in the Treasury while teaching in the Temple. No one arrested him because his time wasn’t yet up.

²¹ Then he went over the same ground again. “I’m leaving and you are going to look for me, but you’re missing God in this and are headed for a dead end. There is no way you can come with me.”

²² The Jews said, “So, is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by ‘You can’t come with me’?”

^23-24 Jesus said, “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living on other terms. I told you that you were missing God in all this. You’re at a dead end. If you won’t believe I am who I say I am, you’re at the dead end of sins. You’re missing God in your lives.”

^25-26 They said to him, “Just who are you anyway?”

Jesus said, “What I’ve said from the start. I have so many things to say that concern you, judgments to make that affect you, but if you don’t accept the trustworthiness of the One who commanded my words and acts, none of it matters. That is who you are questioning—not me but the One who sent me.”

^27-29 They still didn’t get it, didn’t realize that he was referring to the Father. So Jesus tried again. “When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am—that I’m not making this up, but speaking only what the Father taught me. The One who sent me stays with me. He doesn’t abandon me. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing him.”

³⁰ When he put it in these terms, many people decided to believe.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

After three deliveries of the same Truth, “many people decided to believe.” 

Remember the story of Thomas who had heard that Jesus had risen but must see it to believe it?  John tells us of his reaction and response:

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  John 20:24-29, NIV

Are you the blessed who believe without seeing?  Am I? 

The most important question of this and every day is this;

Do I really believe what Jesus said and what He did for me really real?

Even greater is our response! 

What we say we believe will eventually and consistently be revealed in our behaviors. 

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”       Proverbs 4:23

My Lord and My God,

I believe.  I have seen your glory at work in my life and in the lives of others over the years of knowing and following you.  I am so grateful for our growing, intimate relationship.  Thank you for loving us the way you do with patience and compassion.  Thank you for forgiving our imperfect, foolish behaviors with your perfect forgiveness. 

You pick me up, dust me off, cleanse my heart, renew my mind, and restore the joy as you teach me and lead me back on solid footing of Truth once more.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I know enough to know I cannot and will not do life without you!  You are Light and Life forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen

We live in a world of critics.  We are critics!  In fact, this may be the only attitude in which we can all agree upon!  The world has become so good at “critical thinking” which used to be a form of scientific study, a skill we teach in schools for problem solving, to an outrageous monster of self-satisfaction as we perfect the skill of critical judgement.

We humans seem to think we have a “right” to judge every detail of another human’s being and behavior.  Human nature has not developed this tool of critical thinking to problem solve or invent great tools to help people; but rather most often as a method of judgmental behavior to cover up their own inabilities.  We are quick to bring others down, lifting ourselves up and over our victims as a power play, taking the attention off our own sins.  We have surely missed the point, once more.

Jesus brings our thinking back into Kingdom of God focus…

John 8, The Message

To Throw the Stone

^1-2 Jesus went across to Mount Olives, but he was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to him. He sat down and taught them.

^3-6 The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.

^6-8 Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.

^9-10 Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?”

¹¹ “No one, Master.”

“Neither do I,” said Jesus. “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.”]

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus, the One and Only Son of God, qualified with authority, Perfect and Holy, without sin, with every right in heaven and on earth to judge—did not.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Jesus turns the “trap” into a test for the criticizers.  Ah, so who is perfect among us?  Come forward, you get the prize of throwing the first stone at this woman you are using and abusing for your own gain.  It was Moses’ Law to stone anyone caught in adultery—the woman, of course, was the easiest to bring forward. 

Yes, I’m reading “between the lines” as I try to imagine the crime scene.  It could be that the woman was seduced by one of the men in the circle of criticism and judgement.  Women had no rights in this culture where it was acceptable for men to treat women as slaves to their every need.  If you were a widowed woman; all rights were lost.  If you had no family willing to take you in, then you had to survive on begging—or selling your body. Your “living” was done in the dark, with no hope for the future.  Then Jesus came and changed everything.

The woman was shielded by Jesus while He dealt with your accusers.  Jesus knew their hearts.  Jesus knew that this was a trap but he turns the trap into a teachable moment for all involved. 

Jesus first bends down and writes in the dirt.  What is He writing?  ALL of us want to know—but we do not.  With our critical minds, we might think Jesus is listing all the men’s names who have been with this woman.  He might be writing scripture written by the prophets, maybe even Hosea, that the men in the circle might relate to.  We do not know.  Theologians do not really know what Jesus wrote in the dirt.  But we do know this:  Jesus did not condemn her.  With the love and compassion from God that was in Jesus, He lifted her from the dirt and sent her on her way with a tender message—“Go and sin no more.”

In other words, “I see you.”  I’m reminded of Hagar, Abraham’s concubine with whom he had his first child because he didn’t trust God.  She was sent away to die in the dessert with the child. A coverup for sin?  See Genesis 16. God minister to Hagar and Ismael in the desert.  Hagar named God for what He provided to her—worth.  She referred to him as “the God who sees me.” Jesus did not think culturally but spiritually.  His behaviors are a result of Kingdom of God thinking with wisdom coming from God. Jesus, like God, gave worth to all God created. 

Jesus’ love and concern for this woman, who is judged as the lowest in society—below the animals who are used to give what is needed, is shown compassion in His response to her.  “Go and sin no more.”  This life is not for you.  There is a better life for you than this. 

Jesus later died and rose again so that this woman, along with the rest of the believing world, will be saved for eternity.  Let that thought sink in for a moment.

Close your eyes with me. 

If we listen closely, we can hear each heavy stone of judgement drop to the ground.

Lord,

As we live our lives there will be many traps to test our resolve to live like you taught us to live.  Cleanse our hearts of criticism and sarcasm that so easily flows from our lips.  Renew our minds and transform our thinking with love and compassion as the first thought we have for each other.  Refresh our souls with your new mercies that remind us that you “see us” for who we are with love and help for us to be fully who you created us to be.  Restore the joy of your salvation at work within us who are, indeed, the redeemed by you.  Help us to live like redeemed people driven to point the way to you so others can also be “seen” and saved for eternity.

In Jesus Name, Amen

How can we change our minds?  THINK before we speak.  Use this filter:

T—Is what I am about to say Truth?

H—Is what I am about to say Helpful to the hearers?

I—Is what I am about to say going to Inspire worth and provide encouragement?

N—Is what I am about to say really Necessary and uplifting or just random yammer?

K—Above all, is what I am about to say going to be Kind—from a heart that loves like Jesus?

As former pastors of churches, it was always crazy amazing to me to observe a family who rarely agreed on anything, quarreled consistently, and mocked each other to suddenly come together when an “outsider” questions them in a spirit of love with the desire to settle their anger with counsel in with ways to overcome the fighting with words of truth. 

Ask any police officer.  When police officers are called to settle a domestic dispute gone wild to the point that neighbors report it, they know it will be a wild ride. I’ve been told they would rather stop an armed robbery or break up a drug deal than go to a domestic dispute.  Here is typically what will happen: A husband could be shouting and beating on his wife while the wife is shouting at the kids; but when police enter in and try to bring peace to the battlefield, the husband and wife and kids will all turn on the officers of peace. Domestic disputes are the most volatile and dangerous calls for our officers.

I think of these situations as we read and observe how most of the religious leaders who debate The Law of God daily and disagree with each other with emotional arguments now come together to claim Jesus is their common enemy.  These leaders, who have all but forgotten who God is, cannot accept the Jesus is the Messiah.  Jesus, Prince of Peace, has been sent by God to save their souls.  The religious leaders unite to not only refuse what He says, who He is, or what He does; they are blinded to the glory of God in the flesh standing right in front of them—the Promised One they have read about and say they long for—Messiah come! 

The Pharisees, Teachers, and other religious leaders now agree with one thought:  We must kill our “common enemy” who is gaining more followers each day as He mesmerizes the crowds who are not as “educated” as we are!  “The Pharisees, alarmed at this seditious undertow going through the crowd, teamed up with the high priests and sent their police to arrest him.  

John 7, The Message

Could It Be the Messiah?

^14-15 With the Feast already half over, Jesus showed up in the Temple, teaching. The Jews were impressed, but puzzled: “How does he know so much without being schooled?”

^16-19 Jesus said, “I didn’t make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it’s from God or whether I’m making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn’t tamper with reality. It was Moses, wasn’t it, who gave you God’s Law? But none of you are living it. So why are you trying to kill me?”

²⁰ The crowd said, “You’re crazy! Who’s trying to kill you? You’re demon-possessed.”

^21-24 Jesus said, “I did one miraculous thing a few months ago, and you’re still standing around getting all upset, wondering what I’m up to. Moses prescribed circumcision—originally it came not from Moses but from his ancestors—and so you circumcise a man, dealing with one part of his body, even if it’s the Sabbath. You do this in order to preserve one item in the Law of Moses. So why are you upset with me because I made a man’s whole body well on the Sabbath? Don’t be hypercritical; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right.”

^25-27 That’s when some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this the one they were out to kill? And here he is out in the open, saying whatever he pleases, and no one is stopping him. Could it be that the rulers know that he is, in fact, the Messiah? And yet we know where this man came from. The Messiah is going to come out of nowhere. Nobody is going to know where he comes from.”

^28-29 That provoked Jesus, who was teaching in the Temple, to cry out, “Yes, you think you know me and where I’m from, but that’s not where I’m from. I didn’t set myself up in business. My true origin is in the One who sent me, and you don’t know him at all. I come from him—that’s how I know him. He sent me here.”

^30-31 They were looking for a way to arrest him, but not a hand was laid on him because it wasn’t yet God’s time. Many from the crowd committed themselves in faith to him, saying, “Will the Messiah, when he comes, provide better or more convincing evidence than this?”

^32-34 The Pharisees, alarmed at this seditious undertow going through the crowd, teamed up with the high priests and sent their police to arrest him. Jesus rebuffed them: “I am with you only a short time. Then I go on to the One who sent me. You will look for me, but you won’t find me. Where I am, you can’t come.”

^35-36 The Jews put their heads together. “Where do you think he is going that we won’t be able to find him? Do you think he is about to travel to the Greek world to teach the Jews? What is he talking about, anyway: ‘You will look for me, but you won’t find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you can’t come’?”

^37-39 On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)

^40-44 Those in the crowd who heard these words were saying, “This has to be the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the Messiah!” But others were saying, “The Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? Don’t the Scriptures tell us that the Messiah comes from David’s line and from Bethlehem, David’s village?” So there was a split in the crowd over him. Some went so far as wanting to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.

⁴⁵ That’s when the Temple police reported back to the high priests and Pharisees, who demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him with you?”

⁴⁶ The police answered, “Have you heard the way he talks? We’ve never heard anyone speak like this man.”

^47-49 The Pharisees said, “Are you carried away like the rest of the rabble? You don’t see any of the leaders believing in him, do you? Or any from the Pharisees? It’s only this crowd, ignorant of God’s Law, that is taken in by him—and damned.”

^50-51 Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus earlier and was both a ruler and a Pharisee, spoke up. “Does our Law decide about a man’s guilt without first listening to him and finding out what he is doing?”

^52-53 But they cut him off. “Are you also campaigning for the Galilean? Examine the evidence. See if any prophet ever comes from Galilee.”

Then they all went home.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Blood is thicker than water is a proverb in English meaning that familial bonds will always be stronger than other relationships. Is blood thicker than water in this situation?  As our theology is presented with Truth of Jesus, do we come together with others to agree that He is the Messiah, come to save us of our sins; or is Jesus the common enemy who challenges our status quo with a new way of thinking and behaving?  It depends on our relationship with Jesus.  Who is our real family? 

From past experience, true believers in Jesus, who shed his blood so that we could become children of God in His family, are most often closer than any earthly family member.  This bond of “blood” is closer, thicker, stronger, reliable, and dependable and lasts forever!

All I know is, once I was blind but now I see. His blood was shed for my sins.  His blood was shed for the sins of the world.  It is Jesus who brings us together as one in unity of purpose—so others will know and be rescued and redeemed, too.  It is His blood that makes us family, brothers and sisters, joint heirs with Christ in the eyes of God.

Now, Who is Jesus?  Pause to pray and listen to His Holy Spirit.  Is Jesus Truth?  Do I really believe what Jesus did and why He did it—really real?  Is Jesus, undoubtedly and undisputedly Messiah to me—the One and Only who saved me and set me free? 

Lord,

You save us and make us whole.  You bring all who believe with repentance together in unity of Spirit and Truth.  We love because you first loved us.  We forgive because you forgave us.  It’s all about you, dear Jesus!  You not only save us, you change our minds with the power to transform our behaviors to be more like you in every way! There is no one like You!  You are Messiah!  You are Lord of my Life because you are Life!

In Jesus Name, Amen