May 20, 2014
The shortest verse in the Bible is one of the most revealing. Did Jesus cry because Lazarus was dead? No. He knew he was about to raise him from the grave. I think he cried because Mary cried. He was sympathetic to her loss and grief. But mainly, I think he cried because he hated death. As the Life, death was anathema to his very being. He was so angry about the death that man’s sin had wrought that a sound like a snorting horse escaped his lips and tears fell down his cheeks. As he angrily approached Lazarus’ tomb, he commanded them to “roll the stone away!” Life said to Death, “Come forth!” And Lazarus was raised up and walked out of the tomb. Oh the depth of Christ’s passion for us! Oh the great love he has that he would take our death, so that we could receive his eternal Life.
May 18, 2014
Some thought Jesus “demon possessed and out of his mind” when they heard him speak of his coming death and resurrection. Certainly, they are closer to the truth than those who would make Jesus merely a good man or a good teacher. A mere man doesn’t speak of having the “authority,” the power to control his life, so that no one can take it from him unless he gives it willingly. And further, that having given it, he could “take it up again.” No, in this his critics rightly understood his claim. For if Jesus doesn’t actually fulfill his outrageous claim to die sacrificially and rise again, then he is either a devilish liar or a raving lunatic. Yet, Jesus did fulfill his promise to die for us and rise again. And so, he spoke the truth and showed himself more than mere man. He is neither liar or lunatic. He is the Lord.
May 16, 2014
Jesus said this to those who believed in him. Those who did not believe declared that they were never slaves, so why did they need set free. But Jesus told them that whoever sins is a slave to sin. This “truth” that Jesus offered is more than the light that exposes sin. It is the Person that both reveals and redeems us from sin. Truth is more than a concept. Truth is embodied in a Person. Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6).
May 14, 2014
Jesus mediated between the adulteress and her accusers, yet still called her out of her sinful lifestyle. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17). He is the expression of God as both Light and Life. He neither condemns nor condones our sin. As Light, He exposes our sin. As Life, He dies in our place for our sin and offers to abide in those who believe in Him to make them holy and give them eternal life.
May 12, 2014
Jesus had four younger half-brothers named James, Joses, Judas and Simon and several unnamed sisters (Mark 6:3) by his mother, Mary and his adopted father, Joseph. Prior to Christ’s resurrection his brothers didn’t believe in him. We don’t read much about them, but here John records how they gave Jesus sarcastic advice about how to become more famous. Jesus calmly replied to them that they didn’t understand God’s timing nor purpose for him. Often the hardest people to live out your faith in front of is your own family. They have expectations of you and when you don’t live up to them, they punish you with biting comments. Yet, Jesus was obedient to God’s will for him. And after they saw him suffer and rise again, his family finally believed. James and Judas (Jude) both authored NT books. James, who became the lead pastor of the first church of Jerusalem, opened his little book with “James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). Can you think of a more convincing testimony for Jesus than this?
May 10, 2014
Jesus rebuked the crowd that followed him for free food. The feeding of the 5,000 was a sign meant to point to Jesus, not the bread. But the people were more concerned for their stomachs than their souls. Do you come to Jesus for bread? Or because he is the Bread of Life? Most of us have come to Jesus for some physical or relational need or hurt. We came seeking the temporal. Yet, having our needs met, some now follow just for Jesus. We come wanting only Jesus. We come saying, “Give me Jesus.” We now know that all we need is Him.
May 9, 2014
Do you ask for a box for your leftovers? Jesus did. I wonder why. Was it to show that when He holds a banquet everyone eats their fill with food to spare? Was it to draw attention that even the leftovers were much greater than the original 5 loaves and 2 fish? And why record the basket count of 12 baskets full? Did this show that each disciple got a packed lunch to eat while Jesus slipped away into the hills? I can only speculate as to why Jesus commanded the leftovers to be saved. But certain things can be known for sure from this story: 1)When we trust Jesus with our small offering, He can multiply it to feed a multitude. 2)When Jesus feeds the hungry, they eat their fill with food leftover. 3) With Jesus nothing is wasted.
May 4, 2014
This was John the Baptist’s confession concerning Jesus, “Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life.” John said this in response to his own disciples who were concerned that more people were being baptized by Jesus than John. In fact, Jesus wasn’t baptizing. His disciples were. No matter. John rightly understood the point. His disciples were jealous of another’s ministry growth. John rebuked them. He recognized that his ministry wasn’t to build a following to himself, but to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus. He said, “I must decrease and He must increase.” If only more ministry leaders today understood this. Our ministries don’t exist to exalt ourselves. They exist to make Jesus famous! For Christ is the only One who can give us eternal life.
May 3, 2014
Some who know about the gospel, question how God can judge those who haven’t heard it. They offer this question as their own excuse for not believing. Yet, Jesus told Nicodemus that this attitude is based not on reason, but on their passion for darkness and sin. Those who hear the gospel about Jesus and reject it are already under God’s judgment. They have loved darkness and rejected the Light, so God has rejected them. What we do with Jesus has everything to do with what God does with us.
May 2, 2014
This is the first of seven “signs” that the apostle John recorded in his gospel. John calls them signs and not miracles because signs point to something other than themselves. On a recent trip to see the Grand Canyon I noticed “Grand Canyon” road signs all along the way as we drove up from Phoenix. Yet, we didn’t fly from NC to AZ to see these signs. We didn’t stop driving until we stood before the Canyon itself! Many during Jesus’ day were attracted to his miracles, but his true disciples saw them as signs that pointed to Him. Jesus turned the water into wine at a wedding in Cana. The master of the feast and the wedding guests were enthralled with the taste of the new wine that Jesus had made, but the disciples were focused on the wine’s Maker. The whole creation is a miraculous sign pointing to the Creator, yet many worship the former without recognizing the latter (Rom. 1:19-25).