May 17, 2018
WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH DIRT
Jesus noticed a man who had been blind since birth. He spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread it over the blind man’s eyes. He told the man to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. When he washed the mud away, he could see. When people asked the man how he came to see, he told them what Jesus had done for him.
I wonder. Did Christ smile as He made the mud with His own saliva, remembering the time He made a man from the dust of the earth and with His own breath, made him a living soul?
May 16, 2018
THOSE WHO BELONG GLADLY LISTEN
Jesus explained to those who refused to believe in Him that their unbelief was based on their willful rejection of truth. This willful rejection of Jesus as Messiah revealed them to be “children of the devil” (John 8:44), rather than children of God. For if they had been of God, then they would have “gladly” listened to the words of God spoken by Christ.
The apostle Paul wrote that the things of God are “foolishness” to those without the Spirit for only those who are spiritual can understand them (1 Cor. 2:14-15). And so, the Lord Jesus still asked, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matt. 11:15).
Do you gladly listen to the Word of God?
May 15, 2018
SEEK HIM WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND
Jesus warned the crowd that he would soon be “going away” and then it would be too late to find Him. Jesus would soon go to the cross and after His resurrection, would ascend to heaven. Those who would not believe in Jesus would ultimately “die in their sins” and therefore be unfit for heaven.
Most of those in the crowd did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, even though He was with them fulfilling every word the prophets had written. After Christ’s departure, they would continue to “search” for the Messiah, but they would not find him, for he had already come and they had not recognized him.
Now is the time to follow Jesus. Tomorrow may be too late. Therefore, listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (Isa. 55:6).
May 14, 2018
THE AUTHOR OF ALL CREATION WRITES IN THE DUST
When the religious leaders brought a woman accused of adultery before Jesus in order to entrap him, he stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. Finally, he answered, “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.” Then, he stooped down again to write in the dust once more.
Many have speculated as to what Jesus wrote. Did he merely draw doodles in the dust as many a bored student has done in the margin of their notebook? Did he begin to list the sins of each accuser, so that they lost heart and beginning with the oldest, dropped their stones and departed? Perhaps he was following the test for adultery as found in Numbers 5 and using the dust of the Temple to write the curse for adultery? Truth is, no one knows what he wrote.
Certainly, more words have been penned and books written about Jesus than any other subject. Yet, this is the only record of His writing: “Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust.”
Isn’t this what the Author of Life has done for you and I? He has “stooped down” to erase our sin and write righteousness in its place. We are the dust He has breathed life into and made us living souls, with our names writ large in the Book of Life.
May 13, 2018
THE RELIGIOUS ELITE REJECTED JESUS
When the Temple guards returned to the Jewish leaders empty-handed, they questioned why they didn’t bring Jesus in. But the guards replied that they had never heard anyone speak as Jesus did! At this, the rulers and Pharisees mocked the guards and asked the rhetorical question, “Do you see any of us believing in him?” Their point was that only the ignorant and the foolish would follow Jesus. Those schooled in proper religion, such as they, would not.
The apostle Paul explained how those who considered themselves wise, reject Christ, he wrote, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. 1:23-24). Paul went on to write, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful” (1 Cor. 1:26-27).
We may be seen as weak and foolish in the eyes of the world’s elite, but we are blessed to know Christ, “the power and wisdom of God.”
May 12, 2018
FOR WHOM DO YOU SPEAK?
The crowds gathered in the Temple to hear Jesus were amazed at His teaching. They wondered how He had such knowledge and wisdom without training. He responded that His message came from God who sent Him. He did not speak for Himself. He did not seek His own glory, but to bring glory to God. His answer was also an accusation against the Jewish leaders who claimed to be teachers. Jesus accused them of seeking glory for themselves.
I want to be like Jesus. I want to always speak, so that Jesus gets the glory. How ugly is the human temptation to seek our own glory and to care for our own image. May we all grow in our commitment to speak in a way that glorifies Christ and not ourselves.
May 11, 2018
THE “666” OF JOHN’S GOSPEL
In John 6:66, the shocking statement that Jesus made concerning His body and blood as spiritual food, made many so-called disciples desert Him. Just as Moses had led a “mixed multitude” (Ex. 12:38) into the wilderness from Egypt, so a mixed multitude followed Jesus. On this day in the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus separated those who only followed for the free bread, from those who followed because they truly believed.
In John’s Revelation, he wrote of another “666” (Rev. 13:16-18), the mark of the beast, which in the last days will cause many to turn away from God and turn to the Antichrist, in order to buy bread. Those who receive this mark will come under the “wrath of God” (Rev. 14:9-11), for they will have rejected the Bread of Life in order to eat the temporal bread of this world.
I suppose there are many “666” moments when those who follow Jesus must count the cost. In those moments, true believers will continue to follow Jesus no matter the cost. But false believers will turn away and desert Him.
May 10, 2018
ONLY ONE WORK, NOT WORKS.
Jesus told those who wanted to know what “works” they needed to do in order to please God, that only one “worK” was needed. What was that work? It is the work of faith. It is the “only work God wants,” that we might “believe” in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
May 9, 2018
A LITTLE LAD’S LITTLE LUNCH FEEDS A LARGE CROWD
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was always bringing people to Jesus. Here, he brought a young boy to Jesus with his packed lunch. The boy’s lunch was barely enough for him. It was not only a small lunch, but a poor one. For barley was the bread of the poor. Yet, Jesus loves using the young, the small and the poor to accomplish much! Jesus took the five barley loaves and fed five thousand. Andrew had enough faith to bring the little lad and his little lunch to Jesus. The young boy had enough faith to give the whole of it to Jesus, not asking for even one loaf or one fish back for himself. And Jesus had more than enough power to multiply it to miraculously feed a multitude with twelve baskets leftover.
The young boy had enough for a meager lunch for himself, but giving it to Jesus, there was more than enough for everyone, himself included.
May 8, 2018
THE WRITTEN WORD POINTS TO THE LIVING WORD
Jesus acknowledged that the Jews were a people of the Book, yet He challenged them to see that it was He to which the Scriptures pointed. He was essentially saying, “If you claim to believe the Book, then you must believe in Me.”
This is still true. When we rightly preach the Scriptures, we must always preach Christ and “Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). Jesus is the point of our preaching. There is much helpful wisdom in the Scriptures, but eternal life is in the Son. Therefore, we proclaim Christ from the Scriptures! For it is by His Spirit that we understand the Scriptures (1 Cor. 2:14-16), and by His life that we are being transformed in our minds to keep them (Rom. 12:1-2).
Remember the disciples who walked with the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus? They didn’t recognize Him at first. Yet, as they walked, He explained from Moses to the prophets what the Scriptures said concerning Him. As they reflected on this encounter, they said to one another, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).
The written Word points to the Living Word, then the Living Word points back again. Christ causes our hearts to “burn within us” as we encounter Him in the Scriptures.