Life Project Blog

John 5:1-15

This passage lies at the beginning of a unit within the Gospel that continues through 12:50 covering the major Jewish festivals.  The specific festival in question here in chapter 5 is not identified by the text, so for our purposes we will not worry about trying to speculate on this point, although there are various theories put forth by commentators; the application here is not affected by which festival is involved.

The pool at Bethesda was stirred periodically, we don’t know how often, and the first lame person into the pool when it was stirred would be healed.  The man who is the subject of our text was so disabled that he was not able to move quickly enough to be first, and had suffered his disability for 38 years. In our text, Jesus will heal him, command him to pick up his mat and walk, and then slip back into the crowd.  The aspect of this event that we will concentrate on today is the reaction of the Jews, while next time we will concentrate on Jesus’ response to them in vv. 16-47.

The first three verses are discussed in the introduction however, you might notice that the NIV does not have a verse four.  It is contained in the footnote and omitted from the text.  The King James renders verse four thusly: “For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” This verse does not appear in the early manuscripts, yet in the latest ones it suddenly appears.  This is considered to be the result of an early margin note giving the local explanation (myth?) that had later been incorporated into the text.

Jesus walks up to the man and asks him a simple question: “Do you want to get well?”  The man’s reply demonstrates that he had little hope.  Not only had he been in this condition for 38 years, but the pool rules required that he be first into the pool, and only people better off than he had any chance of making it; he appears to have been demoralized.  Jesus did not argue, lecture or pity, He simply gave a command without further comment: The man complied without hesitation.  I wonder if we would be so bold in this man’s condition!  The man believed Jesus; he took Jesus at His word.  There were no questions, arguments or hesitations: He followed Jesus’ command.  All appears to be well until verse 9… it was the Sabbath.

In verses 10-13, we cannot help but be amazed at the ridiculous reaction to this miracle: It was the Sabbath and you aren’t allowed to carry your mat.  Nobody said, “Wow, aren’t you the guy who was crippled for 38 years… and now you are healed:  Praise God!”  No, there will be no rejoicing for what God has done, only condemnation because the guy picked up his stupid mat. The man told them that he had the mat because the guy who healed him had told him to pick it up, and of course they demand to know who had done that. (Conspiracy to break the Sabbath!) The man had no idea…

A curious thing happened: Jesus ran into the man later and warned him to stop sinning lest something worse happen to him and the man ran to the Jews to report who his co-conspirator was.  There are several possible reasons for Jesus’ words to the man although it seems to me that the most likely meaning is to warn the man not to sin lest he receive condemnation at the final judgment.  It seems unlikely that Jesus was talking about carrying the mat on the Sabbath.  Notice also the lack of the man thanking Jesus for his healing, could that be the answer?  In any case, the man ratted on Jesus to the Jews.  Curious, don’t you think? This act, of course sets up the next part in this story which we will consider next time.

For now, it is interesting to consider where all of these Sabbath rules came from.  Rest assured that it was not from the Law, but rather they came from the Jews’ interpretation of the Law, a very strict interpretation that converted a day of rest and relaxation into more of a heavy yoke of obligation that Jesus dealt with over and over again.

Do we Christians make up rules of conduct that Jesus didn’t give us and turn our faith into a heavy burden instead of its being a joy?

John 4:27-42

Last time, we saw Jesus and His conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.  As their conversation was just about to wrap up, His disciples who had gone into town to buy food, come upon the pair; this is what followed…

Upon their return the disciples were a bit shocked to see Jesus speaking with this woman for the reasons recounted last time, but they did not insert themselves into the situation.  It seems unlikely that they would question Jesus’ morality, and by now they would certainly have noticed that He didn’t observe all of the usual customs of the day; they waited for her to leave.  She leaves her water jugs behind and rushes into town to tell the people to come and see this man who has told her everything about her life.  These townsfolk would most likely be aware that there was much to tell, and her testimony has power in their eyes. Her conclusion that He was a prophet she freely gave, but notice that His statement that He is the Christ she is cautious about; “Could this be the Christ?”  The people came to find out…

The disciples want Jesus to eat something and Jesus tells them that He has food they know nothing about.  As always seems to be the case, they take Him literally, wondering if somebody else has given Him food; maybe that woman?

Jesus explains His meaning: His food (nourishment) is to do His Father’s work. Then He proceeds to change the subject to the harvest of souls.  His main device in explaining this to them is to point out that it isn’t always the same person who sows the seed and also reaps the harvest.  In their case, they have gone into town to buy the food that someone else planted, worked and harvested.  They did no work, they just paid for it; someone else did the actual work.  The harvest of souls is near; Jesus wants His disciples to see that the time has come to reap this harvest.  Of course all of this sowing and reaping is analogous to the Gospel: First the Word of God will be planted in the people, in fact it has already been done;  the people expect the Messiah to appear.  It is for Jesus and especially for His disciples to bring in the harvest of those who will believe that they might turn to God and receive eternal life.

Because of the woman’s testimony about Jesus, many of the townsfolk believed in Him.  As a result, they asked Him to stay in their midst and He did so for two days.  During this time, even more believed because of His teachings.  Now, not only did they believe because of the woman’s testimony, they also had the opportunity to see and hear Jesus for themselves:  The harvest in that small town had been reaped. The people there understood that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.

Isn’t it interesting that when we share our testimony about Jesus, some people respond right away in faith while others resist and refuse to accept it?  Could it be that those who respond easily have had the seed of faith planted by someone else, maybe years before?  Could it be that those who refuse our plea may respond easily to someone else weeks or years later?

Certainly, Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that they were to bring in the harvest of the crop that was ready for harvest, and to plant the seed for the harvest that would follow later: I think we can learn from this.

John 4:1-26

The first four verses of this passage set the background for the story; John the Baptist has been arrested (3:24; Matt. 4:12; Mark 1:14; Luke 3:20). Opposition was brewing amongst the Pharisees in Jerusalem because Jesus’ reputation was growing and He was gaining followers and Jesus decided that this was the time to move back to Galilee. It seems that the arrest of John had the affect of freeing Jesus from John’s ministry; John was decreasing, Jesus was increasing.  Jesus takes the mountain road that goes through Samaria that He would later send His disciples on (Acts 1:8).  When Jesus arrives in Samaria our story begins.

The plot of ground referred to here is referred to in Gen. 48:22 and is roughly a half mile from Jacob’s well (see also Josh. 24:32).  Jacob’s well was certainly a well-known location, famous for the spring of bubbling water that it created access to.  Jesus arrived there that day at about noon, tired and thirsty.

Approaching a woman at the well He asked for a drink, and the woman’s response is interesting in that she seems to have assumed a superior tone; you are a Jew and yet you ask me for a drink?  Jews did not associate with Samaritans; in fact, the Jewish teaching of the time said that associating with Samaritans would cause a Jew to be defiled.  If that were not enough, Jewish men did not speak to women in public; not even their own wives, and here is Jesus boldly walking up to a Samaritan woman and asking for water.

As was His custom, Jesus went directly to the lesson He was going to teach, ignoring the customs and traditions of men.  The ‘gift of God’ and His identity are the real topics they would discuss: Jesus could provide ‘living water’ and if she understood this, she would be asking Him for a drink.  Taking Him literally, she notes that Jesus has no means by which to draw water and asks Him if He is greater than Jacob whose water isn’t so effective.  Of course, when Jesus mentions water that would quench a thirst for a lifetime, the woman is interested so that she wouldn’t have to draw water anymore which was very hard work.  Notice that in v. 14 Jesus refers to a “spring of water welling up” which is a direct reference to the reputation of Jacob’s well. The water that Jesus was talking about here is a metaphor for eternal life that was the ultimate gift of God; accomplished by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Himself.

In verses 16-19, an interesting thing happens: In response to Jesus directive to go and get her husband, the woman tells a falsehood with a half-truth.  Jesus knows the whole story, to her amazement, and this insight on His part is the probable reason for why she is drawing water at high noon instead of in the cool of the morning with all of the other women.  Apparently shocked, she perceives that Jesus is a prophet.

Changing the subject, the woman goes on to religious matters… after all Jesus must be a prophet.  Jesus tells her that God isn’t really interested in where a person worships; God cares how a person worships.  In God’s sight what is important is that a person worships in ‘spirit and in truth’:  The time has come for this epochal change.  From the coming of Christ forward the old regulations and traditions are set aside and replaced with reality.  In modern vernacular you can almost hear the woman say “whatever”.  She says that when the Messiah comes, He will tell us all about this (not you, a mere prophet).  Jesus’ reply reveals to her who He really is, for He is the Messiah. (v. 26)

Isn’t it interesting how much like this woman we can be!

John 2:13-22

Since people would have travelled to Jerusalem from all over, they would not have been able to bring animals for sacrifices with them and still be able to meet the ceremonial requirements for perfection.  Having a marketplace right within the Temple (Court of the Gentiles) would have been quite convenient.  At the same time, it would have been quite convenient for the priests who received a percentage from the sales.  In addition, Temple taxes were required to be paid by the Jews in the coin of Tyre.  Money changers were on hand to exchange other coins for the ones required for Temple taxes, sometimes at high fees:  Clearly, Passover was a time for commerce in the middle of the National House of Worship.

Jesus was filled with righteous indignation and drove the traders out, overturning their tables and ordering all of the goods to be removed.  Note that He did not harm the animals or confiscate the money; He was not doing this to cause harm, but rather to stop the desecration of the Temple.  His whip was made of rope, not leather.  It would have gotten a man’s attention, but it would not have caused anyone serious harm.  The issue that Jesus reacted to here was not that running a market and engaging in commerce was a bad or sinful thing in and of itself, but that the Temple was not the place for such things.  Remember, the Temple in Jerusalem during the Old Covenant was the dwelling place of God (in the Holy of holies).  The dwelling place of God, the place of His worship, was not to be taken callously and turned into a marketplace for personal enrichment; it was reserved for reverence.

In verse 17, John is quoting from Psalm 69:9.  The Psalmist is consumed with love for God’s house, and so is Jesus.  Jesus’ zeal for God’s house as a house of prayer has interesting possibilities for us to consider.  First, He certainly had a zeal for the Temple as a place of prayer, but a careful look at the Gospels will reveal that He is never portrayed as praying there.  He is mentioned to be praying in the desert, mountains and Sea, but not particularly at the Temple.  Of course, creative students will recall that the Temple in the OT is symbolic of a NT reality as mentioned several times in Hebrews.  In the NT, many will say that the Temple represents the church, not a building, but the Body of Christ wherein He dwells through the Holy Spirit.  It may be said that this approach is a bit of a stretch to apply to this passage, but it is interesting to ponder.  What is clear however, is that His consummation took place at the time of His crucifixion, which was done for the forgiveness of sins that His people could be redeemed… and so that all peoples could be redeemed into the Body of Christ.

Naturally, the authorities demanded a sign of His authority.  What Jesus gave in reply seemed ridiculous to those who can only think of the physical, but after the resurrection, His disciples understood that the Temple He referred to was that of His own Body.

Hmm… so what do you think?

John 2:1-12

This is the story of the first miracle of Jesus.  It has no parallel in the synoptics, and it stands quite alone giving insight into the way Jesus and His disciples lived that many Christians love to ignore: Jesus drank wine.  (Horror!) Just for fun, compare this passage with Colossians 2:20 ff.

If this blows your mind, then let me quickly sum up this passage for you: Jesus performed His first miracle at Cana, where for the first time His glory and authority was revealed, and His disciples came to believe in Him; let’s have a closer look…

The scene is set: Jesus, His mother (John never says “Mary”) and the disciples were there.  This seems to have been three days after the calling of Phillip.  No reason is given for the reason the wine ran out.  Some have postulated that the attendance of Jesus and the disciples was the cause, but since John says that they had been invited, this seems unlikely.  It would also seem that Mary was well known to the family involved here, since she so quickly took charge of the disaster. When she brings this social catastrophe to Jesus’ attention, His reaction is interesting: literally, “What’s it to me?”  Notice that Mary seems to be aware that Jesus can remedy the situation easily; why else would she pass right over His question and tell the servants to do whatever He says? Jesus statement that His time has not yet come has troubled some commentators who haven’t noticed that In John’s Gospel, John uses this wording to refer to the time of Jesus’ being glorified (by the cross) and not to His performance of miracles, in this case a rather mundane one, if indeed a miracle can ever be called that.

The total capacity of these jars would have been in the range of 120 to 180 gallons. It is worthy of note that Jesus used all of the jars and had them filled up completely; nobody could say that Jesus’ power was limited, nor could they claim that He just slipped some kind of magic fairy dust into them: they were full.

When the servants drew the “water” from the jars and served it to the master of the banquet, the master confirmed that not only was this wine, but it was the “good stuff”.  It can be hilarious reading commentaries about these verses when the commentator goes on and on about how this was “obviously” not really wine but unfermented grape juice.

One of the cardinal rules of interpretation of the Bible is that you must set aside your pre-suppositions, opinions and traditions and let the text speak for itself.  When you are confused or feel that you have come upon a contradiction, there are various things you can do to figure out what the meaning is. Here are two easy ideas: You can usually do a word study and find out what is going on.  In addition, a close examination of the complete context will also aid in determining what the text is teaching.  After this has been done, if the Bible turns out to support your pre-suppositions, opinions and traditions: Marvelous.  But where it doesn’t, your presuppositions, opinions or traditions are wrong. In this case, if you are bound and determined to say that Jesus would never allow the serving of wine, you have two problems to deal with:  First, the Greek word used here is oinos which happens to mean “wine”.  The Greek word for grape juice is tnyx.  Why would John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, make such a writing error? Second, note what the master of the banquet said in verse 10.  Does that even remotely indicate that they were dealing with grape juice?  Does it sound to you like what he would say if the wine was watered down to less than 50% wine?  A better question would be, “Was Jesus trying to get everyone drunk?”  The text does not tell us that Jesus had everyone’s glass refilled, it tells us that the master of the banquet, the only one we know for sure that was aware of the problem got a sample.  We don’t know what the other attendees did after that, or if they even became aware that the wine was gone.  We do know why Jesus performed the miracle, however.

The brand new disciples, who had responded to the testimony of John the Baptist, and then to each other’s saw for the first time that Jesus was more than a man who had been blessed by God: He had a power that no mere mortal possessed, and they put their faith in Him. This would also be the reason for His future miracles; to confirm His true identity and the authority by which He taught.

Yes dear reader, this is the point, and all of the silly business of trying to explain away the wine only draws our attention away from the majesty of our Lord.

John 1:36-51

This section deals with the call of disciples of Jesus.  It is interesting to note that this concept has its beginning as a reaction to the testimony of John, as opposed to any sort of dramatic event.  None of them had angelic messages or voices from on high; they simply reacted to the person of Jesus Christ.  Why is that noteworthy?  Because that is exactly how you and I are “called”.  I’ve never met a man who claimed that he was a follower of Christ because he had experienced a personal audience with an angel, prophet or indeed God Himself.  He simply reacted to who Jesus is.

John’s story of the calling of disciples begins in verses 35-42; taking it as a whole, we see two main components, the first being John’s testimony that Jesus was the “Lamb of God.”  This is the confession that marks the difference between a world that is lost and a follower of Christ.  The second aspect is the response of the two disciples of John who heard it: they followed Jesus.  Notice however that their initial following of Jesus was literal in the sense that they were going to go where He went as opposed to give Him their lives.  When Jesus saw them he simply asked them what they wanted, a question that He would ask many over time.  The two did not give a great theological reply; they just wanted to see where He was staying, maybe to have a chance to talk with Him later.  Jesus gave them a classic reply, “Come and you will see.”

In truth, this is the matrix for all personal evangelism:  Someone hears about Jesus and they want to check it out.  Our approach is “Come and see”. In the case of our text, they arrived at Jesus’ lodgings at around 4 in the afternoon.  Time in the Gospels is reckoned more or less as a twelve hour day from roughly 6 am to 6 pm.  The tenth hour would be about 4 pm. During their visit, Andrew goes off to get his brother Simon, who comes along to see Jesus.  Andrew was now certain about the identity of Jesus.  Jesus, in verse 42 tells Simon that he will be called Cephas.  Note that the synoptics record this name change roughly in the middle of Jesus’ ministry; is this a conflict?  It is not a conflict because Jesus did not change Simon’s name to Cephas; He only said that he will be called by that name: future tense, it will happen someday.

The next section, vv. 43 ff takes place on the next day as Jesus moved on, and in the process, came upon Phillip.  He simply said to him, “Follow me.”  Phillip’s response was immediate: He followed Jesus.  When Phillip came upon Nathaniel, Nathaniel was more of a skeptic.  Nazareth was a nowhere town.  It isn’t mentioned in the Old Testament, nor in any surviving pagan writings.  It’s kind of like Fallon, Nevada: Noplaceville!  Funny, it is interesting that the Son of God should be from “Nowhereville”, and He was born in a stable on a road trip, and He died on a cross, naked and penniless.  There is no worldly appeal to Him; there is only who He is to draw a person closer.  Phillip’s reaction is a classic: “Come and see”.

When the skeptical Nathaniel first meets Jesus, he is surprised by what Jesus knew about him.  His reaction was to believe what Phillip had told him, and he responded in faith.  Jesus has an interesting reply to Nathaniel’s expression of faith: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!  Jesus begins His final comment in this chapter with “Truly, truly I say to you” the first of 25 times in this Gospel to introduce an important statement, and then proceeded to make a statement that reminds us of Genesis 28:12, Jacob’s ladder.  “…you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”  This statement gives the commentators some trouble, but my take is that His disciples would see that Jesus was directly connected with heaven, speaking for heaven and being of heaven.  Jesus and the Word cannot be separated.  This is also His first use of the title “Son of Man”.  It seems to be a favorite of His; it can refer to no one else.

John 1:19-34

Many scholars consider this section to be a second introduction to John’s Gospel, bringing the first section of a Heavenly view down to an earthly witness of the one sent to prepare the Messiah’s path.  John the Baptist is the first witness of Jesus as the Christ, and his is the first testimony recorded.  Witness or testimony is the clear theme of this passage, and in doing so, the Baptist has made a clear link between the Old Testament prophets and the appearance of Jesus on the scene; this is a theological foundation to Jesus’ later claims on this subject.

Verse 19 refers to “Jews of Jerusalem”, “priests” and “Levites”.  These distinctions should be understood as referring first to what we might call the “powers that be” among the Jewish leadership of the time.  The “priests” are those Temple functionaries who perform the duties of that office under the Law, and “Levites” refers to those from the same tribe who perform ancillary functions in the Temple, such as being ‘teachers of the Law” and Temple guards. This delegation was sent from the city to find out just who this crazy guy was who was dressing badly and baptizing people in the Jordan.  John’s reply to all of their questions was “no”; he was not any of those…

So, if John wasn’t the Messiah, Elijah or the Prophet, then who was he and why was he making such a commotion?

John now identifies himself by quoting from Isaiah 40:3.  John was God’s word spoken, not God’s word incarnate; John’s mission was to call for the people to prepare themselves for God’s arrival by repentance and baptism in water. He baptized in water to make preparation, but the One who was coming would baptize another way…

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

John 1:29-31

“The next day” is not always understood the same way by scholars.  Some maintain that it is a chronological reference, while others insist that in the Gospel of John it refers to the next significant event.  In either case, after the Jewish delegation had left, at some point, John made his declaration that Jesus was the One for whom he had been preparing the way.  He calls Jesus the “Lamb of God” making a clear reference to the sacrificial animal used in Temple sacrifices for the atonement of sin.  Jesus would take sin away entirely, not merely making a temporary atonement as the lambs in the Temple did.  John’s statement that he hadn’t known Jesus refers to John’s not understanding that Jesus, his cousin, was the One.

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

John 1:32-34

Here, John clearly tells the people how he knows Jesus is the One; John has seen the sign that God told him to watch for.  Thus, because John has been made to see the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus ‘like a dove’ and then remain there, John states positively that Jesus is the Son of God.

Final Note:  There is some dispute among scholars on the matter and timing of Jesus’ baptism by John.  Note that in this text, John told the Jews that there was standing among them someone that they did not know (vv. 26-27). Of course this is one of the issues debated.  It would appear that John had baptized Jesus at some point and then John had seen the spirit descend.  Was it immediate or was there a lag in time?  Verse 29 makes it appear that there was a time lag, even though John seemed to have suspected something the day before.  Naturally, since the gospel of John is not synoptic, the fact that the Apostle doesn’t stick to a strict time-line can also muddy the waters a bit. Whatever the answer is, one thing is beyond debate:  John, by a sign from God came to recognize that Jesus was the Christ and stated that fact boldly and publicly to the assembled people.

John’s text continues as he mentions that John the Baptist testified concerning Jesus in verse 15, and then in 16-18 gives his own testimony about Him:

Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John 1:16-18

John’s first statement is about the abundance of grace that we have received through relationship with Christ. Then, John expands on his statement, pointing out that while the Law was “given” grace and truth “came.” I think that’s worthy of a little thought, for as John has structured this, the Law is a rather top-down thing. The Law was handed down by God to Moses, and then from Moses to the people; the people could take it or leave it. They took it, and then for the most part, they left it; there was no relationship with Law, for Law just is. The result was that the very Law became their condemnation, not their salvation.

And then, grace and truth came to them…

Grace and truth came to them in a person; they could talk and laugh and cry and walk together; there is relationship with grace and truth, for grace and truth become a part of who we are as human beings; there is no fear in grace and truth.

In the remainder of this text, John reveals to us that through Jesus, God can be known to Man, for Jesus is Himself God. Through Jesus, therefore, we can have relationship with God, the Creator of everything: Grace and Truth.

Would you like to know God?

Get to know Jesus. Would you like to know Jesus?

Get to know the Word who became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

Dear reader, this is really too simple for us to miss! Out of all of the knowledge that has come to humanity over the ages, this is all we need to know to receive forgiveness and eternal life; grab onto it and hold on tight, never let it go…

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

Up to this point, we know that the Word was with God and that the Word was God; the “Word-God.” We have also seen John refer to this Word-God as “he”. Now, for the first time, John identifies “him” as the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Yes, for it was none other than Jesus who became flesh and made His dwelling among us at the incarnation, it is of Jesus that the Hebrews author asserts, “and through whom also he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:2) which is parallel to John 1:3; there can be no doubt about whom it is that John is referring to here. It is Jesus who is the Son, having come to us from the Father.

Now that we are certain of just who John has been talking about, we can look at the attributes John mentions about Him, He was full of “grace and truth.” Notice the balance between those two; how many of us maintain that kind of balance between grace and truth when we are interacting with others? Some of us have a great deal of grace, so much so in fact, that we can overlook almost anything; we might even make the truth hard to find. Others are so strong on truth that we find ourselves pointing fingers at those around us, seldom displaying love or compassion or understanding.

I used to give my students a little chart containing two axes, the north-south axis was labeled “justice” at the top and “mercy” at the bottom, and the east-west was labeled “truth” on the west and “grace” on the east. Then I would ask them to rate themselves by making a little “X” where they think they fall on the chart as I asked them four or five simple questions. After that, I would ask the questions again and have them rate me…

Almost without exception, the students rated themselves right in the middle of the chart, and almost without exception they rated me in the upper left-hand quadrant: they were all full of grace and truth, while I was cold, aloof and correct.

I always got a kick out of that and joked that they should just remember who was the one who was correct in the room. Then, springing the trap, I would congratulate them, for they had each placed themselves on a par with none other than Jesus Christ Himself, a position much loftier than anything the Apostle Paul would ever dare to claim!

The preacher who pounds his pulpit while heaping condemnation on the sinners around the room thinks he’s being just like Jesus, but where is the grace? The preacher who is willing to tolerate virtually any behavior also thinks he’s being just like Jesus, but where’s the truth? Oh yes, dear reader, it is so very hard for us to see ourselves the way that others do, and even harder to see ourselves as God sees us, but since being like Christ is our goal, we need to try.

It might just be that you, me and everyone else should seek His guidance in this through fervent and regular prayer that He, through His Spirit would guide our every action, that all around us would see His love at work in each of us.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 1:10-13

When I was a youth, these verses changed everything for me; this is where I began to comprehend the truth of Jesus Christ. Don’t get me wrong, I believed in Him before that, but simple belief isn’t the same as comprehension, and though my comprehension was not, and for that matter still is not as complete as I might like, this was the turning point for me. Yet again, simple John took a major theological concept and boiled it down to a few simple sentences that anyone can understand; it is clear and simple. This “light” who is also the Word-God, came into this world of darkness, and even though He made the world, the world simply didn’t recognize Him for who He really was. He even came amongst his own covenant people, the ones who had received the message of the prophets concerning Him and His coming, yet they for the most part, didn’t recognize Him any more than they recognized the prophets when they came. Yet, for those who did see Him for who He was, He made it possible for them to be reborn as children of God.

Wow!

What could be simpler?

The interesting thing about a text like this is that while I’d like to write on and on, I’m pretty sure that I would either resort to being redundant, or I would translate simplicity into complexity, and neither of those are very good outcomes. Accordingly, I think I’ll just leave you with…

Wow!

What could be simpler?