Category: Gospel of John

You can click HERE  to read the passage.

“I’m not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
― Woody Allen

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“I’m not afraid of death because I don’t believe in it.
It’s just getting out of one car, and into another”
― John Lennon

It is interesting to see how people think and react differently to death. In this passage we see a lot of different reactions to the death of Lazarus.

Thomas – v. 16 – Thomas certainly does not seem concerned about dying. He is ready to go and “die with him.” Thomas kind of gets a bad rep as a doubter. He actually seems to have a boldness about his faith and is ready to follow Jesus anywhere.

Martha – v.21 – With Martha there seems to be some disappointment  coupled with hope. I see this kind of reaction quite a bit among believers. There are the questions that often come up like “Why did God not do something?” or “Why did God let this happen?’ – But then the questions are coupled with a confidence that they know the one who died is with God and in a better place.

Mary – v.32 – Mary is emotionally torn up. She is experiencing deep grief – so much so that it overshadows her faith and hope at this point. I also see this among believers. It is not that they have lost faith, it is just that they are so overwhelmed with grief and it will take some time for them to recognize that God is still in control.

“Some of them” – v.37 – Some of them seem angry and are looking for someone to blame. This is a fairly typical reaction from unbelievers. Especially those who believe in God but don’t have an authentic relationship with Him. They want to lash out at someone and God seems an easy target.

Jesus – vs.4, 33-36 – Jesus has several different kinds of reactions. First we see that He does not seem overly concerned even though He knew that Lazarus was going to die. His confidence was rooted in God and He knew that God was in control and would bring glory to Himself even through the death of one who loved Him. But then we see real genuine grief. “Jesus wept.” I think He was grieving for several reasons:

• He hurt for those who were hurting. His friends were sad and missed their brother and their tears moved Him to tears.
• But also He grieved over the consequences of living in a fallen world. He hated what he saw sin had done to destroy God’s “very good” creation. He knew the way God had intended it to be and it was painful to see it otherwise.

I would hope that my reaction would be more like Jesus. But as I look at this passage I think it is more often like Martha. My faith is not shaken by death but there are often questions that creep into my mind. What about you? How do you react to the death of a loved one?

Father, thank You that You are indeed “the resurrection and the life” and that in You I can have complete confidence that You are in control of both of life and of death.

Next Week’s Passage: John 11:45-57

 

 

You can click HERE to read the passage.

So again we read in this passage that there are those who are trying to kill Jesus – and again, one last time, he slips through their grasp. Jesus knows that His time is at hand. He will soon face the cross. He will soon experience the most devastating time of His life… being isolated from God and an object of His wrath. So where does He go?

“He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained.” (v.40)

Jesus went back to where it all began. Back to the place where He was baptized. Back to the place where He heard God’s voice clearly affirming His mission: “You are my Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)

Life is hard. It is often confusing. People hurt us. Things don’t turn out as we planned or hoped. We face tragedy. We experience loss and despair and humiliation and grief. And sometimes God is silent.

It is good during these times to go back – to go back and be reminded of those times when God’s voice was loud and clear and unmistakeable. To be reminded that we belong to Him; to be reminded all over again of His magnanimous love for us; to be reminded that we are objects of His delight and pleasure. For Jesus this was synonymous with a place. So He sought that place out. And He was buoyed with a steadfast courage to face what lay ahead of Him – no matter how difficult it was going to be.

For me, when I am struggling with life, I go back in my memory and allow God’s Spirit to remind me of those times when His voice gave definition to my life. I have written about this elsewhere. If interested you can go HERE or HERE to read about some defining God moments in my life. Moments that serve as markers for me when my path seems cloudy or my days seem dark. And as I remember, God fuels me with joy for the journey, hope for the future, and a confidence that He will be with me every step of the way… just as He was with Jesus as He began His trek to Jerusalem and toward the cross.

“Father, I am very grateful that whenever I need courage to deal with life You remind me of those times when Your voice was loud and clear as well as giving me fresh manna each day from Your Word to fuel me for the tasks ahead.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 11:1-44

 

You can read the passage by clicking HERE.

The last part of John 10:10 has always been one of my favorite verses – “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.” But it is a verse that really needs to be understood in relation to the first part of the verse – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”

It is very sad for me to look around and see so many people who have life (bios) but  who do not have LIFE (zoe). Jesus offers the world LIFE in the fullest sense. He uses the Greek work zoe here, in contrast to the word bios – which has to do with biological life. Zoe life is full of vitality. It is animated. It is genuine and authentic. It radiates joy and peace. It is the difference between merely surviving and thriving. The thief (the enemy of our souls) has done a pretty good job of stealing LIFE from people. He has destroyed lives. Jesus has come to restore us to LIFE. He not only wants to give us eternal life so that we can enjoy life with Him forever but He also wants to give us the kind of life on earth that we were created for… zoe life. Abundant life. Life to the full.

How do we get this kind of life? The bottom line is summed up by this statement that is expressed several times in this passage: Listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. There are many many voices in this world that are competing for our attention. And these voices are full of temptation and are very seductive. You don’t have to look far to see how much we have been seduced by this world – usually no farther than our own lives. Here are a few things that are true about the Good Shepherd that we need never forget when we are being baited by the other voices in our world:

• He is good – intrinsically. And therefore He does only what is good for us.
• He knows us – a shepherd knows sheep. He knows what we need. He knows our weaknesses. He knows how to lead us so that we can find good pasture.
• He laid down His life for us.
• He tells us what to do  for our provision and protection – not because He is a despot or power hungry lord.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23

 Next Week’s Passage: John 10:22-42

 

You can read the passage by clicking HERE.

Here are a couple of principles that struck me as I pondered this passage…

People need good community to thrive – Notice vs 20-23. The parents of the blind man were reticent to say too much because they feared excommunication from the synagogue. For Jews, their lives were centered around the local synagogue. It was not only where they practiced their faith but it was also where all their social connections were. Excommunication would have meant living life in isolation and this was too scary a thought for them to even think about. They knew how much they needed their community both to survive and to thrive.

We in America have lost sight of the value of community. Social media has shown us how  true this is. The only problem with social media, as great as it is, is that it gives a false sense of community. We feel like we are connected to people when we really aren’t. As believers we need  authentic community. It is vital to our spiritual, social, and emotional health.

Bad theology is a prescription for spiritual disaster – The Pharisees were picking and choosing from the Older Testament what they wanted to believe about the Messiah. This was true concerning their other beliefs as well. This is why their theology was so off base concerning the blind man and why he was blind.

There are many many people in our churches today whose theology is very shallow. All believers are theologians – theology being the study of God. The question is whether our theology is based on all of Scripture or do we just pick and choose what sounds good to us. This much I do know – if our theology is bad it will fail us as we try to make sense of life and cause us to be a laughingstock to the unbelieving world. Don’t shy away from studying theology – it is good for your soul.

“Father, thank You for my Connect Group, the community of believers I have that helps me to grow and challenged me to know You better.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 10:1-21

You can click HERE to read the passage.

If you could ask God any question what would you ask Him? Some people would ask Him big picture questions – like the following:

• How can a good God allow so much evil in the world?
• Why did You create people in the first place?
• Where do dinosaurs fit into the picture?
• How can one man die for the sins of the world?

Some people would ask Him questions that have to do with themselves – like the following:

• Will I ever get married?
• Why did You make me the way that I am?
• What is my purpose in this world?
• Why did You let such and such happen to me?

The disciples had opportunities to ask the Incarnate God, the Rabbi Jesus, lots of questions as they walked from place to place. In this passage they ask Him a question about why a man was born blind. They assumed that it had something to do with sin, either on his part or his parent’s part. They assumed wrong. Their assumptions were based on things they had learned from others as they grew up.

Here is the point of my pondering.There is a lot that we have been taught that may or may not be true. Things about worship. Things about heaven. Things about the end times. Things about the way we do church. Things about how to be saved. Things about discipleship. Etc. Don’t assume that everything you have been led to believe over the years  is true. Challenge every assumption. Weigh it against the Word of God. Ask questions. Have stimulating conversations about life and faith issues.

Here is an example from a conversation I had last week: The question was asked, “To what extent has our culture defined and shaped our worldview and our lifestyle?” We talked about the affluence of our country. We talked about the way we as Americans tend to spend money. We talked about the size of the houses that we live in. We talked about the millions of people who barely even have enough to eat each day. We talked about compassion and conformity. We talked about balancing a lifestyle of comfort with a lifestyle of generous giving.

It was a great conversation for a couple of reasons: 1) It went beyond the mundane topics that we typically talk about – weather, sports, health, etc. 2) It made me think about how I live. Have I chosen a lifestyle that is pleasing to God or have I conformed to the cultural standards of my community? 3) It challenged my assumptions.

May God give us the courage to ask questions that challenge our assumptions and force us to think biblically about life and culture.

“Father, I am very grateful to be an American and to live in this great country. But would you fuel me with the courage to live first and foremost as a citizen of the kingdom of God and to value the things that You value, not the things that our culture values.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 9:13-41

You can click HERE  to read the passage.

Verse 31: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” So this got me pondering what else the New Testament might say about really being a disciple. Here are a few things that I found… starting with this verse:

Obedience to the Liberating Word of God – John 8:31     ³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Daily Denial of Self and Surrender to our Savior – Matthew 16:24-26  ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 

A Life Centered on the Cross – Luke 14:26-27, 33   ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. …³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Genuine Love for Other Believers – John 13:34-35    ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The Fruitfulness of Abiding in Christ and  Steadfast Prayer – John 15:5-8    ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Here is the question that I have to ask myself: Am I a disciple of Jesus, a fully devoted follower, or am I just a tag-a-long? One of the reasons that Jesus was so candid in His conversations was because He knew there were many who were just tag-a-longs. He wanted His disciples to know what they were getting themselves into. Being a disciple is not a walk in the park. It is a life-long journey that WILL involve trouble and crisis and heartache and quite possibly will involve persecution and suffering and mistreatment.

“Father, by Your Spirit would You give me the courage and fortitude to wholeheartedly follow You no matter what. I don’t want to just be a tag-a-long who follows after You only as long as things are going well.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 9:1-12

You can the read the passage by clicking HERE.

Just like last week, a little more understanding of what went to at the Feast of Tabernacles really helps.

During the Feast there was a great ceremony called the “Illumination of the Temple,” which involved the ritual lighting of four golden oil-fed lamps in the Court of Women. These lamps were huge menorahs/candelabras (seventy-five feet high) lighted in the Temple at night to remind the people of the pillar of fire that had guided Israel in their wilderness journey. All night long the light shone their brilliance, it is said, illuminating the entire city.

In celebration and anticipation, the holiest of Israel’s men danced and sang psalms of joy and praise, before the Lord. This festival was a reminder that God had promised to send a light, the Light, to a sin-darkened world. God promised to send the Messiah to renew Israel’s glory, release them from bondage, and restore their joy. Imagine that you are in ancient Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. Visualize seeing these massive menorahs giving a tremendous amount of light. Now imagine the impact of the words said by Jesus in the Temple courtyard when he announced…

“I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This was understood by the Pharisees to be a messianic declaration. You can understand why they “challenged Jesus.” (v.13) They were on the verge of losing their following as more and more people “put their faith in him.” (v.30)

The people of Jesus’ day were sick and tired. They were sick and tired of the religious system. They were sick and tired of  all the government interference. They were sick and tired of leaders who were only looking out for themselves. They were sick and tired of all the rules that didn’t make them feel any closer to God. They were sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Not a whole lot different than today. And Jesus is still the answer. He is the light of the world. He is the one who brings us out of darkness. He is the one to provide us with the light of life.

“Father, thank You for illuminating my darkness; For opening my eyes so that I can see; for filling me with the light of life!”

Next Week’s Passage: John 8:32-59

You can click HERE  to read the passage.

One particular verse caught my attention this week: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink’.” (verse 37)

Let me give you a little background that helps to give this verse (and the ones that follow) some context. (Information taken from an article  published by Jews for Jesus)

In Jesus’ day, special observances and traditions were developed to mark the seventh day of Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles), known as Hoshana Rabba, the Great Day.” The most notable of these was the Simchat Beit Hashoevah, or water-drawing ceremony, which went as follows:

Imagine a whole parade of worshipers and flutists led by the Temple priest to the pool of Siloam. The priest had two golden pitchers, one of which was for wine. He filled the other with water from the pool. As the musicians played, a choir of Levites chanted Psalm 118: “Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them. I shall give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous will enter through it. I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation.” (v. 19-21) Psalm 118 is a prophetic psalm, which contains the words: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This was the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (v. 22,23)

After the Scriptures were chanted, the whole procession headed back to the Temple and a silver trumpet sounded three times. The priest approached the altar, where two beautiful golden basins were waiting. He poured wine into one basin as a drink offering to the Lord. And he poured water from the pool of Siloam into the other. The whole ceremony, with the parade and the flutes and the singing was so wonderful that one ancient rabbi wrote: “Anyone who has not seen this water ceremony has never seen rejoicing in his life.”

The ceremony was to thank God for his bounty, and to ask him to provide rain for the crops in the coming year. It is said that this ceremony developed from a reading of Isaiah 12:3-4, which says of a future time:

Therefore you will joyously draw water
From the springs of salvation.
And in that day you will say,
“Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name.
Make known His deeds among the peoples;
Make them remember that His name is exalted.”

So on the last day, that great day of the feast, it is recorded that Jesus stood up and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38).

This was astonishing; nobody had ever dared speak like this. Jesus was saying that He was the wellspring of salvation of whom the prophet Isaiah wrote. He was the Messiah, the Lord’s anointed one. It is no wonder that Jesus chose the day of the water-pouring ceremony to invite everyone to come to him. If only the people would believe in him, he would quench their spiritual thirst.

I find the context fascinating and really makes what Jesus had to say come alive with even more meaning than you get at first glance. Just wait until you see some of the context for next week’s passage.

“Father, thank You for quenching my thirst and giving me the satisfaction that my soul was longing for.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 8: 1-31

 

You can click HERE  to read the passage.

I have several random thoughts about this passage…

Random Thought #1

I noticed that there are a lot of differing views mentioned here about who people think Jesus is:

• Jesus’ brothers considered him nothing more than a show off. (vs 3-5)
• Some Jews considered Him to be a good man (vs.11-12)
• Others thought He was a heretic – leading people astray (v.12)
• Some thought he was a brilliant scholar (vs.14-15)
• Some thought He was demon possessed (v.20)

I’ve always liked what C.S. Lewis had to say in this regard:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Random Thought #2

I found it interesting that when Jesus was encouraged by His brothers to go to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles He replied in verse 8, “I am not going up to this feast for my time has not yet fully come.” But by verse 10 He evidently thought that His time had come because He decided that He would  go to the feast. Now, Jesus was very tuned in to to the leading of the Spirit of God. And evidently after He had talked to His brothers He got the cue from God that it was time to go.

Here is my takeaway – I need to make sure that I am as tuned in to the Spirit’s leading as possible because sometimes there is only a very subtle difference between “Yes”, “No”, and “Wait.” And just because God says “wait” to something I am praying about does not  necessarily mean that the wait will be a lengthy wait. The key is to be led by the Spirit day in and day out and respond as He leads – when He leads.

Random Thought #3

In verse 17 Jesus says, “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” Here is my experience with Christianity: It works! Someone once asked me that if I found out that Christianity was just a big hoax what would I do. My response was that I would live according to the Scriptures anyway. Why? Because it is great way to live. I have found satisfaction for my soul. I have learned how to forgive. I have purpose in life. They have taught me to be a better husband, father, employee, friend. I wake up each morning with gladness in my heart. I live everyday with hope for the future. And on and on and on. I have chosen to do God’s will and I have not been disappointed.

“Father, today would You fill me with Your Spirit that I might be led moment by moment to go where You want me to, to say what You want me to, and to do what You want me to.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 7:25-53

You can click HERE to read the passage.

Crazy talk! There are things that Jesus said in this passage  that sounded ludicrous both to the general crowd as well as to Jesus’ own disciples. They kinda sound crazy to me – and I know who Jesus is. Imagine hearing some of this stuff without the benefit of belief.

Imagine hearing someone (who you knew grew up just down the road and whose parents are friends of your parents) say that he came down from heaven (v.38). Imagine hearing him say, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry.” (v.35). Imagine hearing, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” (v. 54). Just plain crazy talk.

Imagine you are one of the disciples and you have spent 3 years with Jesus and this band of brothers called The Twelve and Jesus says, “one of you is a devil.” (v.70)

It is not surprising that many people who had been following Jesus up to this point “turned back and no longer followed Him.” (v.66)

There is much about Christianity that must sound absolutely crazy to the unbelieving world: The whole idea of sin sounds crazy when you are brought up to believe that people are basically good. The notion that one person had to die for the sin of the world is sheer lunacy. The concept of an eternal hell and a lake of fire is just nuts. Crazy talk.

This is why Jesus’ words in verse 43 makes so much sense: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,” and again in verse 65, “no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

It is God who must give us understanding to the crazy talk. It is God who must open our hearts and our minds. It is God who who must draw us to Himself that we might believe in Him. Unless God captures our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection then everything that the Word of God says is just crazy talk.

“Father, thank you for opening up my heart  and for giving my dull mind the comprehension that I needed to believe that Jesus is indeed the Way and the Truth and the Life.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 7:1-24